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."