Sausage Stuffed Manicotti

If you know someone that doesn’t like spinach, this is a dish that’s worth the risk making for them. My husband wasn’t a believer in this sausage stuffed manicotti either until he tried a bite. With the crumbled sausage and cheese filling, he could barely taste it and went for seconds. If you don’t have spinach, kale or Swiss chard is another great option.

What fascinates me the most about this sausage stuffed manicotti is the manicotti shells themselves. It can be the most tedious part of the recipe because they can break on you, making it feel the most technical. But I found the trick to making the process easy.

The best way to stuffing manicotti is by placing the filling mixture into a freezer bag. Then push it off to one side and pipe it into the pasta shell. If you don’t care to do that step, then doing it the old fashion way by using a spoon to fill it also works. The method works great and can get more filling in that way too.

Sausage Stuffed Manicotti

thedishnextdoor

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1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course entrees

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb. manicotti pasta
• 1 lb. bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I prefer mild)
• 2 Tbl. Olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce of your choice
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• Salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350℉
• Cook the manicotti pasta according to its directions. Drain and set aside.
• In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion and minced garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the ground sausage into the pan. Crumble and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, sour cream, and mozzarella cheese.
• Once the meat mixture is cooled, add into the bowl. Mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
• In 11x7 baking dish, pour a thin layer of the tomato sauce just enough to cover the bottom.
• Fill each manicotti shell with the filling and place on top of the sauce. Repeat until all the ingredients are used.
• Pour the remaining sauce over the filled shells and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Keyword cheese, cheese, pasta, veggies, sausage, pasta, sausage