I have to give my good friend some credit for this slow cooker spinach manicotti recipe…

Last week, I attempted to make manicotti for my family. After trying to get it just right, and failing, I ended up with manicotti that tasted great, but was crunchy in places. And, from start to finish, it took me a total of 1.5 hours to make! YIKES, right?

Just as the manicotti was finishing cooking, my friend, Johanna, (pictured above) stopped over. I was taste testing the recipe at that point, and I asked her if she would like to be one of my taste testers. I explained to her that the cooking time was way too long and that, even after 45 minutes of cooking, the manicotti noodles were still not as soft as I wanted them to be. Besides, I knew I couldn’t feel good about putting a recipe on the blog that took that long to make.

The suggestion that made this recipe work…

That’s when Johanna said, “I wonder if you could cook manicotti in the slow cooker…?”

OF COURSE! Slow cooker manicotti. Why didn’t I think of that? Everything is softer in the slow cooker, right? And we all love the slow cooker because it means we don’t have to hover over the stove for almost an hour. It’s perfect!

So, I followed my friend’s advice, and I made the same recipe over again, but instead of sticking it in the oven, I stuck it in the slow cooker. And, voila! It worked.

No cook noodles manicotti.

One way of making manicotti is by cooking the noodles first. This makes them soft, of course, but it also makes them tear easily when you stuff them. The other way to make manicotti is to stuff the noodles uncooked and cook them in the slow cooker with the sauce…which is my new favorite way to make them.

The secret ingredients that keeps this manicotti low in points: Cauliflower.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Meal Planning Mommies recipe if the WW points were high. And because traditional manicotti is full of lots of (high point) cheese, I thought it would be fun to experiment with swapping some ingredients. I still used ricotta cheese, but I used the fat-free version. Then…

Here’s the big swap: I halved the amount of ricotta I would have used and grated up some cauliflower, which is very similar in texture to ricotta. It worked great! In the picture above, you may have been able to guess that the picture on the left is of the grated cauliflower. It looks a little different than ricotta cheese, but when it comes to taste and texture, I promise you that no one will be able to tell the difference.

Sauce it up!

I had Johanna over again when I made it the second time in the slow cooker. Tonight, she texted me to say that her daughter who also tried it, “love, love, loved it!”

I’m not sure if this will help anyone, but I thought it was worth mentioning: we decided to add some jarred spaghetti sauce when we reheated the manicotti, because the noodles toughened up a little from me letting them sit out longer than I should have. Tricky noodles! Little tip: try not to overcook them, and be sure to refrigerate any leftovers in a closed container once they cool.

Healthy homemade tomato/basil spaghetti sauce.

This manicotti is really healthy. Besides being packed with lot of spinach, it uses a homemade sauce made primarily of canned crushed tomatoes. This healthier sauce helps keep the points down for this recipe. If you prefer, you can skip the step of making your own sauce and just use jarred spaghetti sauce from the store. I would use two jars of sauce, and of course, you will want to calculate the WW SP in the WW recipe builder if you make the swap and are tracking points.

Okay, I think that is all I need to say about this recipe. Let’s get to it!

Here is what you need:

Tomato spaghetti sauce:

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, snipped

Manicotti:

4 ounces cauliflower florets
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 egg
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
12 manicotti shells, uncooked
Optional topping: Additional fresh chopped basil

Here is what you do:

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Sauté garlic in oil for 30-60 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt to the saucepan. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and add fresh basil.

While the sauce is cooking, begin to prepare the manicotti. Grate cauliflower in a food processor.

Add spinach, egg, 3/4 cup mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder to the food processor and pulse until well blended.

Using a butter knife or your fingers, generously fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons of the cheese/spinach mixture.

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Carefully place 6 filled manicotti shells in the slow cooker. Pour 1 cup additional sauce over the manicotti, being sure to cover all of the shells fully. Add a second layer of manicotti over the first layer and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Allow to cook for 2 hours on HIGH or for 4 hours on LOW.

Sprinkle with additional fresh chopped basil, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.
One serving is 2 manicotti.
One serving is 6 green, 6 blue, and 6 purple points.

Print Recipe

3.80 from 5 votes

Slow Cooker Spinach Manicotti

One serving is 6 green, 6 blue, and 6 purple points.

Makes: 6 servings

Calories: 310

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, snipped

Manicotti

• 4 ounces cauliflower florets
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 egg
• 1 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 12 manicotti shells, uncooked

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Sauté garlic in oil for 30-60 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt to the saucepan. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and add fresh basil.
• While the sauce is cooking, begin to prepare the manicotti. Grate cauliflower in a food processor. Add spinach, egg, 3/4 cup mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder to the food processor and pulse until well blended.
• Using a butter knife or your fingers, generously fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons of the cheese/spinach mixture.
• Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Carefully place 6 filled manicotti shells in the slow cooker. Pour 1 cup additional sauce over the manicotti, being sure to cover all of the shells fully. Add a second layer of manicotti over the first layer and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Allow to cook for 2 hours on HIGH or for 4 hours on LOW.
• Sprinkle with additional fresh chopped basil, if desired.