Italian Sausage Manicotti, dare I say “awesome”? Yes, yes it is!
Yeah! My kitchen is done! My kitchen is done and I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled that I am to have such an amazing space for me to create in! With the help of my Kitchen designer, Kay, we were able to work with a really small room and essentially double the space. It is also prettier than I could ever imagine. I did a two toned kitchen combining the dark wood in the kitchen and cream colored cabinets in my newly installed pantry/bar. It’s all lightened up with blue-gray walls, really cool lighting fixtures and accented with white curtains, ceiling and a nice bench for seating. I no longer have the depressing, dark kitchen with doors that were falling off and drawers that wouldn’t pull out! I never want to say that I “deserve” something but after sixteen years in my home and saving for awhile, I can honestly say that I “earned” it! I already feel more inspired to cook and create and can’t wait to share it with everyone! I hope you like my pictures below!
With the new kitchen raring to go, everything put away and organized, I wanted to make something that I could really use a bunch of pots and pans to see how the kitchen would flow. Flow it did! Italian Sausage Manicotti just sounded good to me. Heck, I’m a sucker for sausage (um, that sounds funny) and manicotti has all the four food groups in it. Vegetables in the sauce, dairy, protein and carbs. It’s like a perfect meal all rolled up! I also wanted to make something that I didn’t have to give away. I packed up all the leftovers and stuck in the freezer for quick delicious meals later! On a quick note, if you have ever tried to make manicotti before, it’s kinda a pain to fill them with out making a giant mess. The youtube videos make it look way too easy and I’m not that precise not to make a mess. My solution (see pictures below), I cut each manicotti in half and filled them and rolled them back up putting the seam side down. Easy, peasy way to make manicotti with out mess! Give this recipe a try! It’s a great meal to make when you have some time in the kitchen! Did I mention home made Italian sausage? Nuf said!
Enjoy and have a great week!
- 1 8oz box manicotti
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- [br][b]For the Italian Sausage[/b][br]
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp anise seeds
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- [br][b]For the Sauce[/b][br]
- olive oil
- 1/2 cup onions, diced small
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, pulled apart into pieces
- 1 tsp sugar (use if the sauce tastes too acidic)
- [br][b]For the Cheese Mixture[/b][br]
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Cook manicotti according to package directions. Drain and rinse and set aside.
- To make the Italian Sausage. In a large saute pan, add the pork, garlic, fennel, anise, paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the water and cook until the pork is no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the sauce. Coat the bottom of a medium sized soup pot liberally with olive oil. Heat on medium and add the onions. Cook for about 3 minutes then add the garlic and cook until translucent. Add the tomato sauce, dried basil, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Cover and simmer on low for a half hour. Add the fresh basil and continue cooking for ten minutes. At this point taste the sauce and if you need to add sugar this is the time.
- To make the cheese filing. In a large bowl add the ricotta, egg, granulated garlic, onion powder, dried basil, salt, pepper. Parmesan, mozzarella and parsley. Mix to combine well. Add the cheese mixture to the cooled sausage and mix well. Transfer to a large zip lock bag and in one corner cut a hole (about 3 inches) with scissors. Close bag and squish mixture down a bit. See picture below.
- To assemble to manicotti. Coat the bottom of a 9 x13 baking pan liberally with the sauce (about a cup). Take each manicotti and cut down middle and lay flat on a working surface. Fill with the sausage mixture down the middle of each manicotti. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
This is the easiest way to fill the manicotti. It’s the “poor mans” version of a “piping” bag. Works like a charm!
I slice a slit down the manicotti and pipe the filing down the middle. Much easier than actually trying to fill the “other” way.
All rolled up and ready to go!
It’s impossible to get a good picture of the new pantry ’cause it’s so big but here is how the kitchen flows!
A finished view of my kitchen! I love all the new lighting and how light and bright everything is! I seriously can’t tell you how excited that I am!
I love the tin back splash! It reflects perfectly against the granite!
I opted for a nice bench in the eating space in my kitchen! It’s great for a place to sit and keep me company while I cook!
My new dark walnut counter top for my bar area. Yes folks! I built this all by myself. I’m really proud how it turned out!
This used to be my tiny pantry, now I have a place to keep all my cleaning stuff! This closet makes me happy!