manicotti
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of manicotti
1945–50; < Italian: muffs, plural of manicotto, diminutive of manica sleeve. See manche
Explanation
Manicotti is a large, tubular pasta that's perfect for stuffing with ricotta and baking in red sauce. Manicotti is like giant rigatoni, a larger version of the wide, ridged pasta tubes. It's not ideal for dousing with marinara and eating with a fork, spaghetti-style, but lends itself particularly well to savory cheese fillings. Using dried pasta for this dish was an Italian-American invention — in Italy, it's traditionally made with fresh crepes. The Italian manicotti means "sleeves."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The shells in question are ridged manicotti tubes stuffed with cheese and andouille sausage, then wrapped in bacon, smoked and glazed with — what else? — bourbon-brown sugar barbecue sauce.
From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2023
I created a chicken, mushroom, ricotta and white cheddar filling, which I stuffed into manicotti.
From Salon • Jan. 8, 2022
Lasagna with fake-meat Bolognese is rolled up, like manicotti, but also breaded and fried, like catfish.
From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2021
Puns abound, and verbal stunts like having the tribe on a remote island speak a language replete with pasta names – cannoli, linguine, and manicotti.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2016
The manicotti tastes like big fat spaghetti with pizza inside.
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
