Needed to get my Italian fix. We love it across the board and I tend to do a lot of Italian themed meals. Always loved Manicotti but it was such a pain to stuff the shells until this idea came about, which you'll see in a few minutes. Got a package of homemade spicy Italian sausage out, defrosted it, then cooked. Half went into the sauce and the other half went into the filling for the shells.
Sausage cooked and draining
Made the sauce early in the day so it had time for the flavors to fully develop
A horrid looking mess but this is the filing for the shells. Cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream (this is gonna be rich!!), garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, basil, and the other half of the sausage. No measurements. Just added stuff till it tasted the way I wanted it to.
Filling into the jerky cannon. Had an old set of plastic stuffing horns that were not being used so cut one down in length to minimize how much was left in the tube after the plunger bottomed out.
Only got 4 shells stuffed but that was going to be more than enough. Into the CI skillet
Ladle the sauce over the shells
A bunch of mozz, a good sprinkle of Parmesan, and garnish with parsley
Onto the grill running about 375
While the Manicotti is on the grill I cut up a nice salad
About 25 minutes it's hot all the way through and the cheese is starting to brown up nicely
Plated with the salad and garlic toast. Served up a lot like lasagna but if you look close you can actually see the Manicotti under all the sauce and cheese
A nice close up of the mess I made for dinner
This stuff was an absolute flavor bomb. It was also very rich and filling. All I could do to get through the two shells on my plate. Using the jerky cannon to stuff the shells is a game changer. Makes things SO much easier and a lot less messy. I've also found that the key to making this is to not cook the shells all the way. Boil till they are just starting to soften up. They will finish cooking in the skillet. If cooked all the way before stuffing them they tend to fall apart on you. I absolutely loved this meal and it is 100% authentic Italian. My good friend
sawhorseray
might even approve of this one Tracy also loved the meal and was thrilled that there was one left for her lunch the next day. I do need to load up on cream cheese though because my dearly beloved has said we can have this once a week....and I might just take her up on it. This wasn't a quick 30 minute meal but it was well worth the time and effort.
Well I'm off to go do a whole lot of nothing for a change. Got to get the dehydrator out, get the meat on it, and finish up this batch of jerky...so that's something to do I guess. Y'all have a great day and keep those amazing meals coming. Sure has been a ton of fantastic content recently. Stay safe, be happy, and always remember to keep well hydrated while tending the cookers
Robert
Sausage cooked and draining
Made the sauce early in the day so it had time for the flavors to fully develop
A horrid looking mess but this is the filing for the shells. Cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream (this is gonna be rich!!), garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, basil, and the other half of the sausage. No measurements. Just added stuff till it tasted the way I wanted it to.
Filling into the jerky cannon. Had an old set of plastic stuffing horns that were not being used so cut one down in length to minimize how much was left in the tube after the plunger bottomed out.
Only got 4 shells stuffed but that was going to be more than enough. Into the CI skillet
Ladle the sauce over the shells
A bunch of mozz, a good sprinkle of Parmesan, and garnish with parsley
Onto the grill running about 375
While the Manicotti is on the grill I cut up a nice salad
About 25 minutes it's hot all the way through and the cheese is starting to brown up nicely
Plated with the salad and garlic toast. Served up a lot like lasagna but if you look close you can actually see the Manicotti under all the sauce and cheese
A nice close up of the mess I made for dinner
This stuff was an absolute flavor bomb. It was also very rich and filling. All I could do to get through the two shells on my plate. Using the jerky cannon to stuff the shells is a game changer. Makes things SO much easier and a lot less messy. I've also found that the key to making this is to not cook the shells all the way. Boil till they are just starting to soften up. They will finish cooking in the skillet. If cooked all the way before stuffing them they tend to fall apart on you. I absolutely loved this meal and it is 100% authentic Italian. My good friend
sawhorseray
might even approve of this one Tracy also loved the meal and was thrilled that there was one left for her lunch the next day. I do need to load up on cream cheese though because my dearly beloved has said we can have this once a week....and I might just take her up on it. This wasn't a quick 30 minute meal but it was well worth the time and effort.Well I'm off to go do a whole lot of nothing for a change. Got to get the dehydrator out, get the meat on it, and finish up this batch of jerky...so that's something to do I guess. Y'all have a great day and keep those amazing meals coming. Sure has been a ton of fantastic content recently. Stay safe, be happy, and always remember to keep well hydrated while tending the cookers
Robert
