Lasagne and Cannelloni: How to Choose and Layer

How to choose between oven-ready and regular lasagne, and how to layer lasagne and fill cannelloni or manicotti.

Baked pasta, made approachable

Lasagne, cannelloni and manicotti turn flat or tubular pasta into comforting baked dishes. The main choices are whether to pre-boil the pasta and how to layer or fill it — both easier than they look.

Know your shapes

• Lasagne: flat sheets for layering
• Oven-ready lasagne: no pre-boiling — just layer with enough sauce
• Cannelloni and manicotti: tubes you fill with cheese or meat
• Jumbo shells: large shells for stuffing

How to layer lasagne, step by step

• Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom
• Add pasta sheets, then sauce, then filling and cheese
• Repeat, keeping every layer saucy (especially with oven-ready)
• Finish with sauce and cheese on top
• Cover and bake, then uncover to brown

Oven-ready vs regular

Regular sheets are boiled briefly first; oven-ready sheets skip that step but need extra sauce and moisture to cook through in the oven. Oven-ready is faster and less fussy; regular gives a slightly more traditional texture. Either works — just keep it saucy.

Filling cannelloni and manicotti

• Use a piping bag or spoon to fill the tubes
• A ricotta-spinach or meat filling works well
• Lay them in a sauced dish, then cover with more sauce
• Top with cheese and bake until bubbling

Baked pasta, made simple

Keep the layers, or the tubes, generously sauced and baked pasta is hard to get wrong. Unico makes lasagne, oven-ready lasagne, cannelloni, manicotti and jumbo shells.