Saucy Sausage Manicotti

I love manicotti or ANY Italian pasta dish really.  I mean who doesn’t… right? Comforting and filling and can also be made ahead! Nothing better… add a side salad and dinner is done! I made these for dinner over the weekend and they were delicious and even better the next day for lunch!  I found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine and really liked the ease of this dish.  I did have extra filling left over so next time I will make a few more shells! I used sweet italian sausage, but use whatever you like.

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package of manicotti shells (I recommend a few more than
that as I had left over filling)
1 – 16 ounce package sweet Italian sausage (ground)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 26 ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 8 ounce container of chive and onion cream cheese
6 cups of mozzarella
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Follow package directions for the manicotti shells and drain.  Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large pot over medium high heat, stirring often and crumbling the sausage until no longer pink. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cream cheese, 4 cups of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and add a large pinch of ground pepper. Mix until blended.  Cut a slit lengthwise in each manicotti shell.  Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture into each of the manicotti shells,  gently pressing the sides together and placing them seam size down in the prepared dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake covered for 50 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy,