This dish tastes like it came straight out of a restaurant! Perfect for when you have guests over for dinner and they'll definitely be asking for seconds!
Ingredients
4 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
salt and pepper to taste
1 8 oz package manicotti (14 pieces)
1 15 oz container whole-milk ricotta
4 c shredded mozzarella
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 c marinara sauce
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
Instructions
Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add 1 tsp olive oil, onion, and sausage. Cook until sausage browns and is cooked through while breaking it up, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Boil water in large pot and add salt and manicotti until manicotti is slightly softened but not cooked completely through, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from water and place on an oiled surface such as a baking sheet so pasta does not stick to surface.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, ½ cup Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Then mix in the garlic, salt, and pepper. When combined stir in the cooled sausage mixture.
Spray surface of a 13x9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour 1½ cups of marinara sauce into the bottom of dish and spread around using a rubber spatula. Fill the manicotti shells with the cheese-meat mixture until full then place each stuffed pasta shell in a single layer in the dish on top of the sauce. Repeat with remaining shells then pour remaining sauce over, spreading the sauce out.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese then drop the butter pieces across the top of the dish. Bake in oven until heated through, about 30-35 minutes.
Recipe by Kinda Sorta Simple at http://kindasortasimple.com/2014/11/italian-sausage-cheese-manicotti/