Sausage Manicotti

If you’re going for comfort food, there’s not much better than tucking into a steamy bowl of ricotta-packed sausage manicotti, smothered in a zingy marinara sauce and showered with parmesan. 

This delicious weeknight dish also makes for excellent leftovers, and it reheats beautifully. Working-from-home lunch, I gotchu covered. 

You can also play around with the ingredients; add some wilted or thawed, frozen spinach to the ricotta mixture. Just make sure that the spinach is well-drained first. 

You can also change up the cheese in this sausage manicotti, and add shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese in with the parmesan, to get that delicious cheesy pull when you cut into the manicotti. I love a slightly browned, umami-packed parmesan cheese topping, but let your cheese love be your guide here. 

No manicotti? This recipe works great with stuffed shells, too! 

I love this marinara sauce that I make in the slow cooker and then store in the freezer til I need it, but you can absolutely use your favorite jar of packaged marinara, too. 

Sausage Manicotti

Ruthy Kirwan

Sausage stuffed manicotti pasta, topped with a zesty marinara and smothered in a shower of cheese. Makes a great weeknight meal!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 9"x13" Casserole Dish

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 16 ounces manicotti pasta shells
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casing removed, if necessary
• 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

Prep Ahead:

• Brown sausage and when cool enough to handle, transfer to a resealable container or bag.

Prepare From Prepped: 

• Cook the manicotti until just before al dente; you want them to be slightly chewy so they’ll hold up better during stuffing and cooking.
• While the manicotti are cooking, combine the cooked sausage, ricotta, half the parmesan cheese, and garlic powder until well combined.
• Grease the bottom of a 9×13” casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350*F. 
• Drain the manicotti and then stuff with the sausage mixture, laying the stuffed pasta in the casserole dish side by side. 
• Cover the pasta with the marinara.
• Cover the marinara with the remaining parmesan.

Make It From Fresh:

• Brown and crumble the sausage over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces. Transfer to a bowl to cool a bit before handling.
• Cook the manicotti until just before al dente; you want them to be slightly chewy so they’ll hold up better during stuffing and cooking. 
• While the manicotti are cooking, combine the cooked sausage, ricotta, half the parmesan cheese, and garlic powder until well combined.
• Grease the bottom of a 9×13” casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350*F. 
• Drain the manicotti and then stuff with the sausage mixture, laying the stuffed pasta in the casserole dish side by side. 
• Cover the pasta with the marinara.
• Cover the marinara with the remaining parmesan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the parmesan has started to brown and the sauce is bubbling. 
• Remove and serve hot. 

Notes

This creamy, simple recipe makes a great weeknight meal for 4, and it’s excellent for leftover lunches throughout the working week!

If you’d like a little more green, add wilted or thawed frozen spinach to the manicotti mixture.

I like to serve this manicotti with the crispy top that comes from baking it with simply parmesan on top, but you can mix in some provolone or mozzarella for a meltier cheese flavor and texture.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!