While this dish may look like it takes a long while to get put together, it really is simple. You make the sauce right in the baking dish and let it cook along with the pasta. And once you have it all in the dish, you let the oven do all the work. This cheesy sauce pasta bake is going to make you feel like you cooked all day with minimal effort. Sausage Stuffed Manicotti is going to be a regular in my monthly rotation, and I am sure it will be in yours too!
Hearty pasta dishes are always ideal for weeknight family meals. They are easy to put together and really fill up a belly that’s been on the go all day long. This particular recipe may take a while in the oven but it doesn’t take long to put together at all. Giving you plenty of time to squeeze in some of those other household tasks that never seems to be totally done. Also, since you make the sauce right in the baking dish – you really don’t have that much in the way of extra dishes to wash up after the meal is done.
Substitutes and Variations:
I have used standard pork Italian sausage for this preparation. If you have a preference for chicken sausage or a specific type of sausage then totally use that. If the sausage is fully cooked, you can skip the pan fry of the sausage and just halve them lengthwise and stuff them into the shells. I also used string cheese to really add a lot of cheese to this pasta bake. If you don’t have string cheese or prefer not to use it, then just add more shredded mozzarella cheese over the top.
Suggestions for Sides:
I would suggest some garlic bread or maybe some super easy to make garlic knots. You can also do nice green salad or caesar salad. Another great side would be some roasted asparagus or green beans. Just drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The spread out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet and place in the oven after you remove the foil from the manicotti and bake another 20 minutes.
Tools that may make this recipe easier:
Just about the only specific thing you need for this recipe, other than the ingredients, is a 13×9 baking dish. I love my pyrex one, it is so durable, stable and easy to clean.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Sausage Stuffed Manicotti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 Manacotti Shells
- 8 Italian Sausage Links
- 10 String Cheese halved lengthwise
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley
For the Red Sauce
- 2 28oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 cups Beef or Vegetable Broth
- 1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning see recipe below
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Paprika
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook sausage until cooked through (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 375degF.
- In the 13×9 baking dish, add sauce ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cut each sausage in half lengthwise. Then stuff each half into a manicotti then line up in the red sauce.
- Then put a half of the string cheese between each manicotti shell. Push each shell down in sauce so that it is submerged. NOTE the sauce should be loose, so add more water if needed.
- Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan, shredded mozzarella cheese and parsley. Cover with foil and place in oven for 50 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.
Notes
I love to link up my posts to lots of blogs around the internet – check out this Ultimate Handy Linky Party List to find some of the places I share to!
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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It looks and sounds amazing!
Perfect comfort food