Last updated on April 27th, 2012
MAKE A DOZEN EGG-CREPES, fill them with mozzarella and ricotta, top them with perfectly-seasoned tomato sauce, and what do you get? Why, something you can easily make for dinner tonight. When I made this gluten-free dish for my partner, he said “Oh… this is heaven!” Of course it’s all the more heavenly when you use homemade mozzarella and ricotta. But store-bought cheese will do in a pinch. Here’s the recipe:
Egg-Crepe Manicotti
Ingredients for about 12 crepes
6 fresh, local eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup ricotta (homemade version here)
1 cup mozzarella (homemade version here)
Fresh (or frozen) Herbs: 2 Tbs of one or all of the following: parsley, basil, chives
1 cup well-seasoned tomato sauce, either homemade or store-bought
Special Equipment: a non-stick skillet, 6-inches diameter on the bottom; an 11-inch by 8-inch rectangular or oval casserole dish
1. Making the crepes – Beat 6 together eggs with the 1/4 cup of milk; heat the frying pan until drops of water dance on the surface, then add just enough melted butter to film the pan. Pour a scant 1/4 cup (or less) of egg batter into the pan, and swirl to coat the pan’s bottom. Fry for about one minute, or until set (there’s no need to flip the crepe over). Transfer to a wire rack. Crepes can be stacked when cool.
2. Making the cheese filling – In a medium bowl, blend one cup of ricotta and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Then stir in your herbs.
3. Filling the crepes – Place 2 Tbs cheese mixture along the edge of a crepe, as above. Then roll up the crepe, and set it in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining crepes.
4. The tomato and cheese topping – ladle tomato sauce over the crepes, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella.
5. Baking – 30 minutes at 350F. Bake on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese melts and tomato sauce begins to bubble.
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Janice says
I love manicotti crepes, I make a similar recipe 🙂
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Janice – I'm curious…do you put a beaten egg in with the cheese mixture?
Terry says
This sounds yummy, I will have to try it. I am thinking a beaten egg would help with the cheeses, my cheeses I think would be drier than it looks like in your picture above, as my homemade ricotta is on the dry side. I used lemon juice to curdle my ricotta. I had a lot of whey leftover, I wonder if the citric acid you use would separate out more curds?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – that's a great question. I will have to try making ricotta with lemon juice instead of powdered citric acid, and see if there is difference in yield.
buy ghost chili says
Oh man, that looks delicious!
Brenda Johnson says
Oh Kevin… your description of this was grand… but the pictures have set my mouth to a waterin'!!!!!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
buy ghost chili – welcome!
Brenda – Get thee to thine kitchen…this dish is fab!
Terry says
I tried this today! I was worried I wouldn't like the crepes because I am not an egg person, but they were good since it was covered in tomato sauce and a nice alternative to pasta. Seemed like a little lighter than pasta. I think next time I might add a bit of cheddar to the filling for a bit more flavor.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – So glad you tried the crepes! Did you add an egg to the cheese mixture? And speaking of cheeses, you are right — cheddar would contribute a lot of flavor. So too would parmesan or asiago.
Terry says
I did not use an egg in the filling. The mozzarella I bought was softer than I expected and I broke it up with a fork to mix with the ricotta and it held together well. A good parmesan or asiago (never had that) I am sure would have given more flavor, I will have to try that. I need to expand my cheese repertoire as I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more “cheesy” 🙂 My husband liked it and that says a lot as he rebels against a lot of foods, in particular pasta. So this will be showing up again on our menu.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – sorry for the delay — I'm working on something for Garden Design Mag.
One good thing about Egg Crepe Manicotti (besides being gluten-free)is that it's low in carbs. I think Dr. Atkins would have approved of this dish!
Have fun experimenting with different cheese combinations…