Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce (inspired by Cooks Country)
Meat Sauce
butter/olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pound italian sausage (I used a mix of hot and sweet)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
Manicotti
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (use fresh if you can find it!)
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 package lasagna noodles (you can use a 16 pack of no-boil noodles if you'd like)
First, lay the lasagna noodles in a 9x13 casserole dish and pour boiling water over them, covering completely. This will soften up the noodles while you get the rest of the dish ready. The original recipe uses no-boil noodles, which I assume soften faster, but my normal noodles were perfect by the time I was ready for them. Also, if using fresh mozzarella, cut about 1/2 cup of it into small cubes, lay them on a plate and put them in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 375.
Next, the sauce! Heat 2 Tb butter or olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and saute till translucent. Add meat, breaking up with your spoon while it browns. You don't really want huge chunks in this sauce. Once the meat is just browned, remove about a cup with a slotted spoon into a small bowl for later. Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes to remaining meat mixture and cook until garlic mellows, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (You can make this sauce and refrigerate it up to 3 days ahead)
Now, the filling! Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 3/4 cup provolone, egg, salt, pepper, basil, and reserved meat mixture in medium bowl. Drain noodles and place on a cutting board or plate. Discard the water and dry out your dish, you're about to reuse it!
Time for assembly! Spread half of meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Place a scant 1/4 cup of filling on one end of your noodle. Roll up and place, seam side down, on the sauce. Continue until all filling is used. Spread remaining sauce over manicotti rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (the frozen cubes you cut earlier, if using) and provolone. Bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes. Serve.