Sausage-Filled Manicotti

Stuffed manicotti is the kind of Italian-American baked pasta that has been on Sunday tables since the church-cookbook era. The filling here leans savory: browned Italian sausage gets folded into ricotta with mozzarella, Parmesan, and a fresh egg to bind everything tight enough to hold inside the tubes.

The trick most people miss is undercooking the manicotti shells. Boil them just until pliable but still firm, since they finish cooking in the oven. Fully cooked shells tear when you try to fill them and turn mushy under the sauce.

A jar of tomato sauce on top, a generous shower of mozzarella, and 35 minutes in the oven is enough to melt everything together into bubbling, golden-edged comfort food. The fresh parsley in the filling cuts through the richness and keeps each bite from feeling heavy.

Pro Tips

• Use a pastry bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to fill the tubes. Spoons make a mess.
• Drain the cooked sausage thoroughly before mixing in. Excess fat makes the filling oily.
• Cover the pan with foil for the first 20 minutes if your shells weren’t fully cooked, then uncover to brown the cheese.
• Let the dish rest 5 minutes after baking. Hot ricotta runs everywhere when sliced too soon.

Variations

• Swap the tomato sauce for a quick vodka or rosa sauce for a creamier finish.
• Add a handful of chopped spinach (squeezed dry) to the filling for color and a vegetable boost.
• Use a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausage to dial in your preferred heat level.