Fried Lasagna Bites
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 1053
- Total Fat
- 42
- Saturated Fat
- 18
- Carbohydrates
- 103
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 11
- Protein
- 65
- Cholesterol
- 203
- Sodium
- 1917
- Total: 35 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
14 to 16 manicotti shells
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 pound ground beef
1 white onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 pound shredded mozzarella
1 quart cottage cheese, strained
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups plain bread crumbs
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta, cook for 6 minutes, then drain and spread out on a sheet pan to cool.
- Heat a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, ground beef and onions; saute for 3 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, basil and black pepper. Cook for about 8 more minutes, until the meat has browned. Stir in 1/2 cup of canned tomato sauce and cook until heated through. Set mixture aside to cool in a large bowl.
- Add the rest of the canned sauce into saute pan and stir in the red pepper flakes.
- Fold the mozzarella and cottage cheese and into the cooled meat mixture. Stuff each cannelloni shell with the meat mixture and then place the shells in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up. When ready to fry, slice shells into thirds.
- Preheat oil to 350 degrees F.
- Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs into separate bowls.
- Dredge the shells in the flour, then eggs, and then bread crumbs.
- Fry the bites until they are golden brown and crispy; about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with the spicy tomato sauce.