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Kittencal's Cheesy Sausage Or Spinach Manicotti (OMAC)

Here's how you make Kittencal's Cheesy Sausage Or Spinach Manicotti (OMAC)
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  • Servings: 28
  • Prep: 25m
  • Cook: 90m
    • The following recipe serves 28 people.

Ingredients

The ingredients are:
  • 16 ounces cottage cheese (2 cups, use the cream-style cottage cheese)
  • 16 ounces ricotta cheese (2 cups)
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced (large cloves)
  • 1 large egg (well beaten)
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (rubbed between fingers to release the flavors)
  • 2 pounds Italian sausage (use sweet or hot Italian sausage, bulk or the links with casings removed, cooked until browned, drained - or cooked spinach - please note on bottom of recipe)
  • 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (4 cups divided, you can use more for the cheese filling and top if you like - even better use Kraft 4-cheese Italiano blend cheese)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream (heaping tablespoons added if needed after 4 or 24 hour chilling time)
  • 28 (16 ounces) dry manicotti shells (28 dry shells, DO NOT COOK THE SHELLS!)
  • 10 to 12 cups pasta sauce (4 jars/ 640 ml each, or use your favorite - if you are only making one pan with 14 shells then you will only need two jars which is 6 cups of sauce)
We recommend you get your ingredients ready before you start cooking. Once you're ready, here are the steps to making this delicious recipe

How to Make

  • Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (set oven rack to lowest position).

  • Step 2: Grease two 13 x 9-inch pans.

  • Step 3: Pour one jar of pasta sauce into bottom of each pan (3 cups of sauce into each pan).

  • Step 4: In a large bowl combined cottage cheese with next five ingredients. Season generously with seasoned salt and pepper starting at 1 teaspoon each (you can add more after chilling time).

  • Step 5: NOTE: Make sure after you cook the sausage meat to mince it up as small as possible using your clean fingers.

  • Step 6: Add the cooked sausage meat or drained spinach with 2 or more cups of mozzarella cheese or Italiano blend cheese; mix very well. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or even better 24 hours to blend all the flavors.

  • Step 7: Remove from the fridge, if the mixture seems dry mix a little in sour cream.

  • Step 8: Using clean hands stuff the cheese/sausage filling mixture in the DRY manicotti shells.

  • NOTE: at this point you can cover and refrigerate until ready to bake or you can freeze the stuffed shells, just thaw overnight in the fridge then proceed with the remaining 5 steps

  • Step 9: Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer over sauce (yes you will be able to fit 14 stuffed shells in each pan!).

  • Step 10: Top each pan with one jar of sauce (3 cups or a little more of pasta sauce over each pan).

  • Step 11: Sprinkle remaining 2 cups Italiano blend cheese or mozzarella cheese over the top, then cover very tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour.

  • Step 12: Remove from oven and remove the foil (at this point if you like more cheese add some on) Place back in the oven. Bake uncovered for another 20-35 minutes or until shells are fork-tender.

  • Step 13: Let stand 15 minutes or more before serving.

  • NOTE: make sure to break up the sausage mixture very finely while cooking you don't want large clumps... and If your using spinach you can use fresh cooked or a box of frozen thawed, which ever you decide on make sure it is hand-squeezed dry, I used a box of frozen and thawed it in the microwave for 12 minutes then allowed it to cool

Tips & Variations

Don't forget the following tips and variations.
  • 2 (13x9-inch) baking pans

We hope you enjoy this recipe!

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