Italian Stuffed Pasta Tubes Food

ITALIAN STUFFED PASTA TUBES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook manicotti until tender yet firm to the bite, about 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess grease.
• Drain manicotti tubes and allow to cool. Add 2 cups spaghetti sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the sausage; simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Cut manicotti tubes open and lay flat. Place about 3 tablespoons of the sausage mixture and some mozzarella cheese down the middle. Roll up tubes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms. Slowly pour in cream, whisking to prevent any lumps. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add fontina, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses; whisk thoroughly to blend.
• Pour 1/2 of the cheese sauce into the prepared casserole dish. Place stuffed tubes seam-side down over the sauce. Pour remaining cheese sauce on top. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce down the middle of the casserole dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

ITALIAN STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook hot Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.
• To the skillet, add onions, peppers and carrots; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, corn, red wine, brown sugar, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir very well, reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer while stuffing the pasta shells.
• Fill up a large bowl with very hot water from the tap (not boiling water) and add half of the pasta shells to it. Let them sit until softened, about 15 minutes. Add the other half after stuffing the first batch.
• In a medium bowl, combine sausage, spinach, ricotta and asiago; stir until combined. Spoon half the tomato sauce in the prepared baking dish. Stuff pasta shells with Italian mixture and place them on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over stuffed pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and sauce is bubbling.
• Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes before sprinkling on some fresh chopped parsley. Serves 6.