Italian Sausage & Cheese Baked Manicotti
A rich and comforting Italian dish with creamy cheese and savory sausage.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking dish For baking the manicotti.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound beef sausage
- 0.5 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 0.5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces chive and onion cream cheese
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1.25 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 10 units manicotti tubes, cooked according to package directions
- 24 ounces pasta sauce
- 1.33 cups grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large nonstick pan, cook and crumble the beef sausage over medium heat. Once it's broken apart, add the diced onion and cook until the sausage is no longer pink.
- Stir in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cream cheese. Stir until melted and well combined. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Once cooled, mix in 3/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and black pepper until well combined.
- Stuff the manicotti tubes with the beef and cheese mixture.
- Pour about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Place the filled manicotti tubes on top of the sauce.
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the manicotti, covering them completely.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese on top. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Notes
For a little extra flavor, consider adding chopped spinach or mushrooms to the beef mixture.