Across the many different types of foods, cuisines, and cultures in the world, we’re willing to bet that there isn’t a group with more variety than pasta! Pasta recipes are as abundant and unique as snowflakes in a winter storm. With all of the different pasta shapes, sauces, and toppings that can be added, there’s seemling no end to pasta’s possibilities. In their uniqueness, sometimes pasta recipes take a hard turn from the norm. If you’ve looked on our menu before, you’ve likely noticed manicotti as an option. We explain what makes manicotti so different from the others below!

Shape

If you look at manicotti from a distance, you’ll think that it looks like an ordinary pasta noodle. In some ways, this is absolutely true; manicotti is shaped like many traditional pasta shapes. However, there’s a big quality that makes manicotti far different from other classic pasta shapes; it’s size! Manicotti noodles are significantly larger than other forms of pasta, even bigger than traditional lasagna! The tunnel through the center of the noodle is a prime place to put cheese and other fillings, which help to make manicotti unique.

Cheese Fillings and Sauces

As we mentioned before, manicotti is usually filled with a variety of cheeses to make it unique from other pasta dishes. You won’t just be limited to a specific type of cheese either; there are plenty of options that you can use to mix and match your manicotti dish! Some of the most popular cheeses that people use for the dish are ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Like other pasta dishes, sauce is usually drizzled over the top of the manicotti. You can get even more creative here, with marinara sauce, bechamel sauce and even alfredo sauce!

Other Fillings

Cheese isn’t the only thing that you can stuff your manicotti with! Some variations of the recipe decide to get more experimental with the things that they choose to add. Things like beef, peppers and other assorted veggies are some of the least unorthodox examples of this. Other recipes go more off the deep end with this, using crab meat, sausages, and a mix of assorted vegetables as part of the filling! Like many pasta dishes, manicotti is what you make of it.

Manicotti at Bricco Salumeria

Bricco Salumeria specializes in all things Italian, from mouthwatering sandwiches to extensive catering dishes! We carry manicotti as a catering dish so you can wow your guests at your next social event. For some of the best Italian food in Boston’s North End, click here to order online with us!