Italian Sausage and Peppers Manicotti |
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Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes |
Ready In: 105 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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I wanted something special for my husband when he came home from a business trip and came up with this. He loved it, and now thinks I need to cook for him whenever he goes away. It made a lot and froze beautifully. Ingredients:
22 1/2 ounces ricotta cheese (1 1/2 15 oz container, i use fat free) |
3 italian sausages, casing removed (i've used turkey sausage also) |
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped |
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped (i used red and yellow, but use what you like) |
1 large garlic clove, minced (or to taste) |
2 eggs |
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced) |
2 teaspoons italian seasoning |
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided |
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (fresh if you can) |
2 (26 ounce) jars marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce, i prefer simple non-chunky sauce but use what you like) |
1 cup water |
1 (8 ounce) package manicotti |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Fry sausage with garlic, breaking it up as it cooks so its in small pea size chunks.
3. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until veggies are soft and flavors are blended. Drain well! I put it in a metal colander over a bowl and left it to sit to get rid of as much of the grease as possible.
4. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, and egg. Season with parsley, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Stir in the well drained sausage mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
6. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture (fill a sturdy sealable storage bag and cut a corner off, works fabulous).
7. Arrange shells in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.
9. Note: The amounts of filling is more than needed for one box of shells, you can either buy more or use the extra filling for other things.
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