Creamy Italian Sausage Manicotti Recipes

MANICOTTI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepot over medium heat. Cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces, until browned and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve for the filling.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot and cook the onion until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute (the tomato paste will turn a deep maroon color). Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Melt the butter into the sauce, remove the bay leaves and stir in 1/3 cup of basil. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, 40 minutes.
• For the filling: mix together the ricotta, reserved sausage, the remaining 1/3 cup basil, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Fold in 1 cup of the cooled tomato sauce. Place the filling in a large piping bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the manicotti shells until they have softened slightly but still hold their tubular shape, 5 minutes.
• Pour half of the tomato sauce into a broiler-proof 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture. Place the filled shells in the baking dish. Pipe any extra filling along the ends of the shells in the dish. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the sauce begins to bubble, 40 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, remove the foil and increase the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the manicotti back into the oven to bake until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

CREAMY CHEESE-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti according to package directions, being careful to not overcook (or they'll split while you're filling them); drain.
• Sauce: cook onion and garlic in butter until tender; stir in flour and blend well, then add milk all at once; Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly; add swiss cheese and wine; stir until cheese is melted.
• Combine egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, lemon peel and nutmeg.
• Fill manicotti with ricotta mixture (I use a small teaspoon to do this); arrange in a 12x7x2 inch baking dish.
• Pour sauce over the filled shells; cover and bake in a 350° oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

MANICOTTI, SAUSAGE & CHEESE

Steps:

• Brown sausage, cool slightly.
• Mix cheeses, sausage, olives, onions in large bowl.
• Stuff hard manicotti shells with above mixture (do not cook shells first or they will be near impossible to stuff).
• Place stuffed shells in 9x13 Pyrex/glass baking dish.
• Spread remaining sausage/cheese mixture over shells.
• Pour spaghetti sauce over top. You may only need 1 1/2 cans of sauce depending on the pan size.
• Pour 1/2 can water along sides.
• Cover and refrigerate over night--this wait period will help the shells soak up water and get stoft.
• Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly.