Cannelloni Florentine with Sausage and Tomato Cream

• 1 box manicotti shells, cooked per directions
• 1 1/2 lb ricotta cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese
• 3/4 lb sweet sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 pt heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 10oz box chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
• 3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp dill, fresh if possible

Instructions

Remove sausage from casing and sauté with chopped onion, drain and set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine Ricotta, eggs, bread crumbs, Romano cheese, sausage and spinach. Season with garlic powder, pepper, and salt if desired. Place ricotta filling in a pastry bag and working gently, fill the manicotti. You may also fill the pasta with a small spoon, but be careful not to split the pasta. (If the pasta splits, place the split side down when baking.) Place filled Manicotti (now called Cannelloni with the addition of meat in the filling) in a buttered baking pan large enough to accommodate all the pasta. In a separate bowl, combine the tomato sauce and the heavy cream. Stir in the fresh dill and pour over the pasta. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella and parsley. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Complicated? No way!!! Just read the recipe through and make sure you have all your ingredients ready. After reading the instructions, you will find that this recipe is really quite easy. From start to finish, it should take about 1 hour to prepare. Serve this pasta with a crisp dry white wine, like a Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc.

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