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Italian Sausage Manicotti- The classic pasta dish with a handy shortcut! Perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends. This dish combines mozzarella cheese, manicotti shells and zesty Italian sausage for a delicious meal.

Manicotti is something my mom made quite a bit.  However, her version seemed to take her all afternoon to make.  While it was delicious, I just didn't have the patience to make the traditional manicotti.  Plus, my family are not a fan of ricotta cheese.  

So, I omit it and use mozzarella string cheese as a quick and easy shortcut!

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Ingredients Needed

• Manicotti shells
• Italian sausage
• Crushed tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Mozzarella string cheese
• Shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
• Dried spices: oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt and pepper

String Cheese? 

Yep! An example.

Do I Have to Use Italian Sausage?

No.  You can use ground beef, turkey or chicken as an alternative. You can also use a plant based protein, if you wish.  You can also go completely protein free and just use the sauce. 

Can I Freeze This Dish?

• Yes. Prepare the dish as noted in the recipe, except, do not bake it or top with shredded cheese. After preparing it, cover it tightly with foil or lid  (in a freezer safe dish!) and place it in the freezer.  It will be good for a couple of months.
• When you are ready to eat, let it defrost to room temperature and bake according to the recipe. If you bake it when it's frozen ( or even partially frozen), you will need to increase your baking time.

Tips

• After making/draining your manicotti shells, do your best to space the cooked shells apart from each other.  After making, they can stick together easily. 
• Want to split up your recipe? You can divide this into 2- 8 or 9 inch baking pans.  Eat one for dinner and freeze the other pan for a future dinner.  See above for freezing instructions. 

linking up and weekend potluck 

Italian Sausage Manicotti

The classic pasta dish with a handy shortcut! Perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends. This dish combines mozzarella cheese, manicotti shells and zesty Italian sausage for a delicious meal.

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Hands-Off Time: 15 mins

Yield: 12

Servings:

Units & Temp:

Ingredients

• 12 manicotti shells
• 12 mozzarella string cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese
• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt/pepper, to taste preference

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. Prepare the manicotti noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside carefully. Keep the noodles separated from one another on a tray or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
3. In a skillet, brown sausage until it's no longer pink, breaking up as you cook. If needed, drain the sausage and wipe out the skillet. Return the cooked sausage to the skillet
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, oregano, basil and salt/pepper to the skillet. Mix to fully combine.
5. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, the remove from the heat.
6. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture on the bottom of your prepared pan.
7. Slide one whole piece of mozzarella string cheese inside each cooked manicotti shell. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer on top of the sauce base.
8. Top the stuffed manicotti shells with the remaining sauce/sausage mixture.
9. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover.
10. Top with shredded cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
11. Let the dish cool for about 15 minutes before serving

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