This 4-cheese sausage manicotti with marinara sauce makes a delicious main dish that can be served with a salad and garlic bread.

Cheese and Sausage Manicotti

Back in the day when I ate a lot of frozen dinners, my favorite one was cannelloni with tomato sauce.

I think it was that frozen dinner that actually inspired me to come up with this manicotti recipe.

This recipe includes cottage cheese to go along with the traditional ricotta cheese filling.

But if preferred, more ricotta cheese can be used in place of the cottage cheese.

This manicotti also includes a quick and easy homemade marinara sauce that tastes especially good with the cheese filled shells.

The filling in this recipe has Italian sausage in it.

Feel free to change up the meat to ground beef or ground turkey if preferred.

Or it can be made meatless too.

Cheese and Sausage Manicotti

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Sausage Manicotti Ingredients

Marinara Sauce – olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, ground black pepper, dried red pepper flakes and salt

Pasta and Filling – manicotti pasta, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, chopped spinach, green onion, parsley, Parmesan cheese and…

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

…shredded mozzarella cheese…

Cooked Italian Sausage in Bowl

…and cooked Italian sausage

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Marinara Sauce:

Chopped Garlic on Cutting Board

Dice the garlic and set aside for a moment.

Skillet on Stove Top

Heat a medium size saucepan on low to medium heat.

Olive Oil in Skillet

To the pan add olive oil and…

Chopped Garlic in Skillet

…chopped garlic.

Chopped Garlic in Skillet

Stir for a moment before adding the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce in Pan

To the pan add tomato sauce,

Add Oregano in Pan

…oregano,

Add Basil in Pan

…basil,

Add Pepper in Pan

…pepper,

Add Red Pepper in Pan

…dried red pepper flakes,

Add Salt in Pan

…and salt.

Stir Marinara Sauce

Stir the sauce.

Stir Marinara Sauce

Turn the heat down to the lowest heat possible and cover the pan with a lid.

Let simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.

For the Filling:

Cottage Cheese in Bowl

In a medium size bowl add cottage cheese,

Ricotta Cheese in Bowl

…ricotta cheese,

Parmesan Cheese in Bowl

…Parmesan cheese,

Chopped Spinach on board

Chopped Spinach in Bowl

…spinach,

Onions and Cheese in Bowl

…green onions,

Parsley in Bowl

…parsley,

Shredded Mozzarella in Bowl

…mozzarella cheese,

Manicotti Filling in Bowl

…and cooked and crumbled Italian sausage (or your choice of ground meat).

Manicotti Filling in Bowl

Stir together.

For the Manicotti:

Stuffed Manicotti on Plate

Stuff the manicotti shells with cheese filling.

Marinara Sauce in Dish

In a casserole dish (either one large oven proof casserole dish or serving size oven proof dishes),

Marinara Sauce in Dish

add a layer of the sauce to the bottom.

Manicotti in Dish

Lay each stuffed manicotti in the casserole dish.

For the Toppings:

Marinara Sauce on Manicotti

Spread the sauce over the top of the manicotti.

Shredded Cheese on Manicotti

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Manicotti and Marinara in dish

Bake in a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.) until the shells soften and the filling heats up (45 minutes).

Sausage and Manicotti in dish

Serve warm and…

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti on plate

…top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti

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Cheese and Sausage Manicotti

4-Cheese Sausage Manicotti

This 4-cheese sausage manicotti with marinara sauce makes a delicious main dish that can be served with a salad and garlic bread.
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

For the Marinara Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
  • 2 cans (15 ounces for each can) tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • 3 dashes salt

For the Filling:

  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  • 2 green onions chopped, including the green tops
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Italian or curly parsley
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup cooked and crumbled Italian sausage (broken up in small pieces with a spatula when cooking) can substitute with ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork

For the Manicotti Pasta:

  • 1 box (12 to 14 count) uncooked (dry) manicotti shells

For the Toppings:

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Marinara Sauce:

  • Heat a medium size saucepan on low to medium heat.  To the pan add olive oil and chopped garlic.  Stir for a moment before adding the tomato sauce.  
  • To the pan add tomato sauce, oregano, basil, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Stir together. 
  • Turn the heat down to the lowest heat possible and cover the pan with a lid.  Let simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.

For the Filling:

  • In a medium size bowl add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, green onions, parsley, mozzarella cheese, and cooked and crumbled Italian sausage (or your choice of ground meat).  Stir together.

For the Manicotti Pasta:

  • In a large shallow oven proof casserole dish, or serving size oven proof dishes, add a layer of the warm sauce to the bottom. 
  • Stuff the manicotti shells with the cheese filling.  Then lay each stuffed manicotti in the casserole dish.

For the Toppings:

  • Spread the sauce over the top of the manicotti.  
  • Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. 
  • Bake in a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.) until the shells soften and the filling heats up (45 minutes). 
  • Serve warm and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this manicotti as a main dish with salad and garlic bread for a delicious meal.

Pasta Recipes

Here are more pasta recipesGreen Chile Macaroni and Cheese“, “Sloppy Joe Macaroni and Cheese” and “3-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara“.

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Italian Sausage and Radiatore Pasta with Homemade Sauce

Mostaccioli Pasta with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Tangy Marinara Sauce and Angel Hair Pasta

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