Venison Sausage Stuffed Manicotti Shells

Directions

• Venison Italian Sausage
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix very thoroughly until everything is fully incorporated.
• Stuffed Manicotti
• Brown the sausage in skillet, breaking it up into small crumbles.
• Roughly chop the spinach, and add it to the skillet with the browned sausage. Cook until spinach is fully wilted. If using frozen spinach, skip this step (but be sure to strain and squeeze the spinach until it’s as dry as possible).
• Transfer sausage crumbles and spinach into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if doing the following steps by hand).
• Whisk and mix until the sausage crumbles are broken down and quite small.
• To the bowl, add the ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella cheese, half the Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, parsley, black pepper, minced garlic, and garlic powder. Mix everything until well-blended and fully incorporated. Then mix in the heavy cream.
• Stuff manicotti shells with filling mixture. This can be done with a small knife or similar utensil, a piping bag, or a food-grade caulk gun like the LEM Jerky Gun.
• In a separate bowl, mix the pasta sauce and water.
• Ladle some of the sauce mixture into a casserole dish or lasagna pan; just enough to cover the bottom. Set stuffed shells into the pan, arranging them in any way they will fit.
• Ladle more of the sauce mixture of top the shells, until they are all covered. You may have some sauce mix leftover.
• Sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella cheese over top, followed by the remaining Parmesan cheese. Optionally, garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.
• Bake in oven pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-70 minutes; until pasta is tender, and the cheese on top is a light golden brown.
• After removing from oven, let cool for a few minutes before serving. Optionally drizzle some extra sauce over top once served.