Italian Sausage Manicotti

Once again, I apologize for the horrible picture. This is a wonderful and easy meal to put together. I like to make a couple of pans and freeze one for a meal for later. I found the recipe on another food blog. It sounded so delicious that I knew I had to make it! When my mom made manicotti or lasagne, she always included shredded carrots and zucchini, so I knew right away that I would be adding each of those. I am so glad that I did! It helps to add some bulk to the filling and it is another way to get in some more veggies! I only used two chicken sausage links because that is what I had. I know it might sound like a complicated dish, but it actually came together rather quickly. I served this with a nice green salad and some toasted sourdough bread. Yummy!

Italian Sausage Manicotti

1 onion, diced

2-4 links chicken or turkey Italian sausage

8 oz.pkg. sliced mushrooms

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

salt and freshly ground black pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese (I used part skim and it was great!)

dash of nutmeg

2-3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

5-6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

4-5 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Manicotti shells, cooked (I used 1 whole box, 16 shells, and made two 8X8 pans)

3 cups marinara sauce (I used Classico brand)

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided (I used a lot less because we didn't have much. It still turned out yummy!)

1-2 zucchini grated*optional

1-2 carrots grated *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put a little bit of the marinara sauce in the bottom of your pan (or pans). Heat a skillet and add a touch of olive oil or spray with non-stick spray. Add the sausage (remove from casing) and cook for 1-2 minutes while crumbling. Remove the sausage and pour out any fat. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add sausage back to pan and add minced garlic. Cook for a minute longer, making sure the sausage is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the Manicotti shells according to the package directions and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, add the cooled meat mixture, ricotta cheese, grated nutmeg, parsley, basil, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (I also added a bit of cottage cheese to make more filling), shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture to combine. Fill the manicotti shells and lay filled shells in the pan(s). Cover with remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and salad!

*if you want to freeze a pan, assemble the manicotti and cover with foil. Do not bake it before freezing. The night before you want to eat it, take it out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge. Bake for 35-40 minutes.