Manicotti substitutes
Manicotti substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Cannelloni tubes
1 tube for 1 manicotti tube
Cannelloni tubes are a direct swap for manicotti, one tube for one tube. Boiled lasagna noodles rolled around the filling are just as good and often easier, because a rolled sheet cannot split the way a stuffed tube can. Jumbo pasta shells hold the same filling with no rolling at all. Manicotti contributes nothing but structure: it is a container that softens in sauce, so anything that can hold ricotta and bake through will do the job. Whatever you use, spread sauce under and over it, because any pasta not covered in sauce bakes hard.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- baked stuffed pasta
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of manicotti | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cannelloni tubesbaked stuffed pasta | 1 tube for 1 manicotti tubeWorks | Works |
| 2 | Lasagna noodles rolled into roll-upsbaked stuffed pasta | 1 boiled sheet per stuffed tubeTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni)baked stuffed pasta | 3 to 4 shells per manicotti tubeTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Crespelle or thin savoury crepesbaked stuffed pasta | 1 crepe per tubeTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Large rigatoni or paccheri stood uprightbaked stuffed pasta | By volume, enough tubes to fill the dishTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | No tubes at all: layer it as a bakeweeknight cooking | Same total weight of pastaTweak it | Tweak it |
Cannelloni tubes
similar taste and texture
The Italian original: smooth tubes, usually slightly narrower than manicotti, and often sold oven-ready.
- Best for
- baked stuffed pasta, ricotta and spinach filling, meat filling, bechamel bakes
Nearly identical once baked. Because they are smooth rather than ridged, slightly less sauce clings to the outside, so the top looks glossier and less rustic. The important difference is practical: many cannelloni are no-boil, and no-boil tubes must not be boiled and need a looser sauce plus a covered dish so they can absorb liquid. They also hold a little less filling each, so you may fill an extra tube or two.
Lasagna noodles rolled into roll-ups
similar taste, different texture
Boil the sheets, lay them flat, spread filling along each one and roll it up like a rug.
- Best for
- baked stuffed pasta, ricotta filling, feeding a crowd, avoiding torn tubes
The most reliable substitute and the one most likely to be in your cupboard. Nothing tears and nothing has to be piped. The result has a higher pasta-to-filling ratio and a softer, layered bite instead of a firm tube with a soft centre, so it eats more like small lasagnas. Boil the sheets until flexible but still firm, then lay them on an oiled tray so they do not weld together.
Jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni)
similar taste, different texture
Large cupped shells that you spoon filling into, no piping bag required.
- Best for
- baked stuffed pasta, cheese filling, quick assembly
The easiest of all to fill, since you can use a spoon. Because the filling sits exposed rather than sealed in a tube, the top of each mound of ricotta browns and blisters under the cheese, which many people prefer. There is less pasta per bite and more sauce contact, so the dish tastes cheesier and slightly more sauced than manicotti.
Crespelle or thin savoury crepes
enhanced taste, different texture
The traditional Italian version of this dish before dried tubes existed: thin egg crepes rolled around the filling.
- Best for
- baked stuffed pasta, ricotta and spinach, special occasion dishes
A real change and, done well, a better dish. Crespelle are tender and eggy rather than chewy, so the bake becomes delicate and almost souffle-like instead of hearty. No boiling is involved, so nothing splits. The downside is that they absorb sauce fast and can go soggy, so use a thicker sauce and bake them the day you assemble.
Large rigatoni or paccheri stood upright
similar taste, different texture
Short wide tubes packed standing on end in the baking dish and piped full of filling.
- Best for
- baked stuffed pasta, ricotta filling, impressive presentation
This genuinely works and looks striking, but it is fiddly: you need a piping bag with a plain tip and the patience to fill dozens of small tubes. The eating experience is different too, with a much higher pasta-to-filling ratio and a chewier bite. Undercook the tubes hard so they stand up instead of slumping.
No tubes at all: layer it as a bake
similar taste, different texture
The honest fallback when nothing stuffable is available.
- Best for
- weeknight cooking, using what you have, same flavours, less work
Cook any short shape, mix or layer it with the sauce and the ricotta filling, top with mozzarella and bake. You lose the whole point of manicotti, which is the pocket of filling, and gain a dish where every bite tastes the same. Every flavour is still there, so this is a good decision on a Tuesday and a poor one for a dinner party.
Questions
5 questionsAre manicotti and cannelloni the same thing?
They are used interchangeably in recipes and produce the same dish. Manicotti tubes are ridged and slightly wider; cannelloni are smooth and often sold as no-boil. Swap them tube for tube, but follow whichever cooking method is printed on the box you actually bought.
Can I use lasagna noodles instead of manicotti?
Yes, and many cooks prefer it. Boil the sheets until flexible, lay them flat, spread filling down the length of each one and roll them up, then bake seam side down in sauce. One sheet replaces one tube, nothing tears, and you skip the piping bag entirely.
How many jumbo shells replace one manicotti tube?
Around three to four, since a shell holds much less filling than a four-inch tube. Easier still, forget the count and just fill shells until the filling runs out, then arrange them in a sauced dish and top with mozzarella.
Can I just leave the pasta out and bake the filling?
You can bake the ricotta filling with sauce and cheese and it will be tasty, but it is no longer the same dish; it is closer to a baked ricotta. A better route is to roll the filling into roasted eggplant or zucchini slices, which gives you the pocket-of-filling structure without pasta.
Why did my manicotti come out dry or chewy at the ends?
The pasta was not fully covered. Dried pasta finishes cooking by absorbing liquid from the sauce, so any part sticking up out of the sauce simply never hydrates. Sauce the bottom of the dish, blanket the tubes, and keep the dish covered with foil until the last ten minutes.
Tips for substituting manicotti
5 tips- Boil manicotti a couple of minutes short of the package time in a wide pot with plenty of water, then lift them out with a spider or tongs rather than dumping the pot into a colander. Fully cooked tubes tear the moment you try to fill them.
- Lay the drained tubes in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet while you make the filling. Piled in a colander they stick together and rip apart when you separate them.
- Fill from both ends with a piping bag, or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off, working the filling toward the middle. Trying to spoon filling into a four-inch tube is how most people end up with a split tube and a mess.
- Manicotti and cannelloni are not quite the same thing even though recipes swap the names freely: manicotti is the ridged Italian-American tube, cannelloni the smooth Italian one. If you buy oven-ready cannelloni, follow its no-boil directions rather than a manicotti recipe.
- Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish before the tubes go in and cover them completely with more sauce and foil for most of the bake. Exposed pasta ends turn hard and chalky, not crisp.