Manicotti
Manicotti is pasta stuffed with sausage and cheese, topped with a creamy tomato sauce and then baked into the most delicious Italian dinner. A family favorite that's perfect for entertaining guests.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 551kcal
Ingredients
for the filling
- 1 pound sausage Italian or Pork Sausage
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 eggs
for the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 5 cups roasted tomato sauce or marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
for the pasta
- 8 ounces manicotti pasta
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cook sausage, crumbling as it cooks until well browned. Drain excess grease and set aside.
- Meanwhile, In another pan, cook diced onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in cream and remove from heat.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook manicotti in batches, cooking about 6 minutes. Remove from water with tongs and set aside on a sheet pan in a single layer. Pasta will finish cooking in the oven.
- Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of sauce into the bottom of a 10 x 15 baking dish.
- Mix filling together by combining cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1 cup of shredded Parmesan, eggs, 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic, thyme, basil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Use a spoon to stuff shells with filling, laying stuffed shells into baking dish over sauce.
- Pour remaining sauce over stuffed shells.
- Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake, uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Store leftovers covered in plastic wrap in refrigerator up to 4 days.
Reheat in a 325° oven for about 30 minutes. If stored in a glass baking dish, transfer to a different pan before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 1639mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g