Easy Sausage Manicotti
This Easy Sausage Manicotti recipe is spectacular! Who doesn’t love a six-ingredient dinner recipe? It’s so easy to make, plus you don’t have to pre-cook the manicotti. Now that’s my kind of a recipe. E-A-S-Y! I used mild Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, a jar of spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning for increased flavor.
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I know that anytime I make a pasta recipe, my husband is sure to eat it. Plus, he will eat leftovers over and over again. Not so with other food. While nothing is better than my favorite manicotti recipe, it’s also a lot of work. I make it every year for John’s birthday. This easy manicotti recipe, however, is so quick and easy that it makes my head spin.
The nice thing about this entree is it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Then pop it in the oven, and it’s done in about an hour. I added a tossed Poppyseed Mandarin Salad and it was all we needed. Easy and delicious.
If you want one of the easiest, quickest manicotti entrees ever, give Easy Sausage Manicotti a try. This great recipe will surely become a staple in your house and be requested frequently. 🙂
Easy Sausage Manicotti is a humdinger of a recipe!
This six-ingredient recipe is so quick and easy to prepare.
We served it with Poppyseed Mandarin Salad and both were terrific.
If you enjoy manicotti, this is a great recipe.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Brown Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
Drain sausage on paper towels. Pat the sausage dry on top with paper towels, too, to remove excess grease.
Toss drained Italian sausage into a mixing bowl. Add ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning.
Stir ingredients together to combine.
Spread one-half cup of spaghetti sauce over the bottom of a 9×13″ glass baking dish.
Stuff manicotti to the brim with Italian sausage mixture. Place manicotti shells in a single row in baking dish.
Cover manicotti shells with remaining spaghetti sauce.
Sprinkle with remaining Italian seasoning.
Bake manicotti at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes, or until manicotti is softened and can be pierced with a fork. (Mine took about 55 minutes).
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of cooked manicotti.
Return casserole dish to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serve with garlic bread and a tossed salad, if desired.
Easy Sausage Manicotti is just that. E-A-S-Y!!! This entree is kid-friendly too.
This meal was perfect served with Poppyseed Mandarin Salad.
If you enjoy manicotti and can eat sausage, this is a wonderful recipe to try.
Here’s the recipe.
EASY SAUSAGE MANICOTTI
(Recipe adapted from Taste of Home)
Easy Sausage Manicotti
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- aluminum foil
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb. mild Italian pork sausage crumbled
- 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
- 8 oz. box uncooked manicotti shells
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning divided use
- 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce any variety
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (4-oz.)
Instructions
- Crumble sausage into a large skillet.
- Fry over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink.
- Use a hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying.
- Remove cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain for a few minutes.
- Pat sausage dry with paper towels to remove all grease.
- Combine cooked sausage, ricotta cheese and 1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl.
- Stuff dry manicotti shells with sausage mixture.
- Spoon ½ cup spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13” glass baking dish.
- Place manicotti shells in single layer in baking dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over top of shells.
- Sprinkle remaining Italian seasoning evenly over top of manicotti.
- Cover dish with foil.
- Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until manicotti is soft and can be pierced with a fork.
- Uncover; sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of shells.
- Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Yield: 14 manicotti or 7 servings.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
The Italian sausage and ricotta cheese filling is wonderful.
I stuffed the shells to the brim. I still had a little sausage mixture left over that didn’t fit into the shells.
This ooey, gooey, Italian entree is perfect for company.
Easy Sausage Manicotti is so easy to prepare, you can make it more often for family dinners. Serve it with a mouthwatering Poppyseed Mandarin Salad!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Baked Penne with Italian Sausage
Easy Sausage Manicotti
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- aluminum foil
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb. mild Italian pork sausage crumbled
- 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
- 8 oz. box uncooked manicotti shells
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning divided use
- 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce any variety
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (4-oz.)
Instructions
- Crumble sausage into a large skillet.
- Fry over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink.
- Use a hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying.
- Remove cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain for a few minutes.
- Pat sausage dry with paper towels to remove all grease.
- Combine cooked sausage, ricotta cheese and 1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl.
- Stuff dry manicotti shells with sausage mixture.
- Spoon ½ cup spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9×13” glass baking dish.
- Place manicotti shells in single layer in baking dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over top of shells.
- Sprinkle remaining Italian seasoning evenly over top of manicotti.
- Cover dish with foil.
- Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until manicotti is soft and can be pierced with a fork.
- Uncover; sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of shells.
- Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Yield: 14 manicotti or 7 servings.
12 Comments
Crush Crush
July 8, 2022 at 3:02 am
The only thing I could change about this recipe is that although it claims in the guidelines that preparation takes only 15 minutes, it took me almost an hour to stuff them. Of course, I could simply be slow. A box and a half of shells were also used. I followed the recipe completely and substituted portion of it with a wonderful alfredo sauce. Without a doubt, I’ll use this again. We both enjoyed it very much.
Teresa
July 9, 2022 at 12:36 pm
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. I will say that I am (at my age) probably a lot faster as a cook now than I was 40 years ago. Anyway the recipe is delicious no matter how long it takes. 🙂
Galaxiga
July 8, 2022 at 3:00 am
This was my meal last night. It was tasty! I did what everyone else did and substituted ricotta cheese. Filling the shells took the longest. My spouse adored it. To prevent the shells from sticking, I spread some marinara sauce over the pan’s bottom. In order to make it more zingy, I substituted hot sausage for plain sausage. Test it out!
Teresa
July 9, 2022 at 12:37 pm
Oh, I bet hot sausage made this manicotti fantastic. So glad you enjoyed this easy recipe.
octordle
June 5, 2022 at 11:19 pm
I love this recipe. I will try it in the near future
Teresa
June 6, 2022 at 7:34 am
Thanks.
geometry dash
May 10, 2022 at 3:00 am
Next time I need to bake something this will be it. Sounds amazing. Thank you.
Teresa
May 12, 2022 at 7:51 am
This is a great recipe and so easy.
Mary O-KK
September 10, 2020 at 3:23 pm
Hi, Teresa!
The Sausage Manicotti is ready to put in the oven for supper tonight. It looks sooo good! I have a few questions for you:
1. How do you fill your shells? I tried a LARGE piping bag first. No luck. Then I tried an iced tea spoon. Less luck. I finally used my fingers and it was a breeze, but wonder if there’s a better way.
2. I have all the ingredients for a second tray that I want to freeze. What do you suggest for storage? I’m thinking I should bake until done and then freeze it, but wait on the mozzarella until defrosted and re-warmed.
Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
And Teresa — how is your husband doing?
Best wishes,
Mary
Mary O-K
September 10, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Oh, this is funny! I got my questions answered when I decided to look at your Baked Manicotti recipe while the Easy Sausage Manicotti is in the oven:
1. You use your hands to stuff the shells, too!
2. You explained the freezing in that recipe, as well!
Baked Manicotti is being saved to try soon. Sound wonderful.
Only thing I still don’t know is how John is doing — as well as how YOU are doing, Teresa.
Thanks,
Mary
Teresa
September 11, 2020 at 2:18 pm
Hi, Mary. John is doing phenomenally well considered it has only been three months since the stroke. I really think he will be walking within a month and the other issues repaired in a few more months. It has been a long road but we take it one day at a time. BY THE WAY, my Baked Manicotti is absolutely wonderful. It is my favorite manicotti recipe, but it does take several hours to make and prep. I usually make it each year for John’s birthday.
Teresa
September 11, 2020 at 2:21 pm
Hi, Mary, yes, I always use my hands, it’s just easier. I usually freeze the manicotti in the same baking dish or foil pan I plan to cook it in. It’s probably better to not pre-bake and then freeze. The noodles get a little tough with a second baking. When you’re ready to bake you can thaw the casserole first, or bake frozen but add an additional hour or so to get it cooked all the way. Tent the foil if necessary so the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil.