When traveling to Australia and New Zealand, I loved the way they used pumpkin in many main dishes. Here, pumpkin is usually associated with dessert, but the rich flavor of pumpkin lends itself well to savory dishes. I am always seeking out main dish recipes that incorporate pumpkin. This recipe comes from bettycrocker.com website.
Ingredients
16 uncooked manicotti pasta shells
1 pound bulk Italian pork sausage
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 egg
1 container (15 ounce) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese
3 cups Alfredo pasta sauce
Fresh sage leaves as garnish
Instructions
Heat oven to 350F.
Cook and drain pasta shells as instructed on package.
Cook sausage, garlic and 1 Tablespoon chopped sage over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
In medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, pumpkin, egg, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and 1 cup of cheese.
Add remaining 1 Tablespoon chopped sage and sausage mixture.
Spread one cup of Alfredo sauce in ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
Spoon sausage mixture into plastic food storage bag. Cut off corner of bag to make a one-inch hole. Pipe sausage mixture into cooled manicotti. Arrange stuffed manicotti on top of sauce in dish. Pour remaining Alfredo sauce evenly over shells.
Cover and back 35 minutes. Uncover and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 - 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Garnish with sage leaves
Note: This recipe was originally published by Berry Crocker some years ago. As with many older recipes, I find that the portions now sold in packages no longer match the recipe. For this recipe, the manicotti shells that I purchased came in boxes of 14 (not 16 as the recipes calls for). Manufacturers reduce the portion in the package, but keep the price the same. So, for this recipe, I ended up with extra stuffing for the manicotti. It can baked in a custard dish if you want to use it all.