Sausage-stuffed Manicotti

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 10 uncooked manicotti
• cooking spray
• 1 lb sweet turkey italian sausage
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
• 2 heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. coat pan with cooking spray. remove casings from sausage. add sausage to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. add onion and bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
• 3 melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. remove from heat; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. return pan to heat; bring to a boil. cook 6 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. remove from heat; stir in black pepper. add 1/2 cup milk mixture to sausage mixture; stir well.
• 4 preheat oven to 350°.
• 5 spoon about 1/3 cup sausage mixture into each manicotti; arrange manicotti in a single layer in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. sprinkle mozzarella over manicotti; spread remaining milk mixture evenly over mozzarella. top milk mixture with pasta sauce, spreading to cover. sprinkle with parmesan. bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.