Baked Sausage Manicotti - comes together in a snap and tastes as good as any restaurant! This recipe is made with uncooked manicotti noodles and uncooked Italian sausage. Sounds crazy, but it tastes amazing! Ready to eat in about an hour. Manicotti shells, cottage cheese, Italian sausage, garlic powder, oregano, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Serve with some garlic bread and a salad for a meal the whole family will enjoy!
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Spread ½ cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, uncooked Italian sausage, oregano, and garlic powder.
Spoon cheese mixture into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Stuff into uncooked manicoti shells.
Place stuffed shells into the baking dish. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.
Bake uncovered for 50 - 55 minutes.
Sprinkle casserole with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Notes:
Do NOT boil the manicotti noodles or cook the Italian Sausage.
You are going to mix the raw sausage with the cheese mixture. It bakes along with the pasta.
If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a ziplock bag and cut the tip off of a corner. You can also just spoon the filling into the pasta shells.
Is Sausage Manicotti greasy? No. This baked pasta is not greasy.
Can substitute turkey sauce for a lower-calorie dish.
Can add spinach, mushrooms, and fresh herbs to the cheese mixture.
My favorite jars of store-bought spaghetti sauces are Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label), Rao’s, Carbone, and La Famiglia DelGrosso.
Can I use ricotta cheese? I haven't made this recipe with ricotta, so I can not say with certainty how it turns out. My guess is that it would be fine.
Can I freeze manicotti? Yes. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.
When ready to bake, thaw the pan in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.