This stuffed shells recipe is better and more flavorful than many I’ve had in restaurants. It’s creamy, savory, and very filling. Grayson and I had so much fun stuffing the shells together, and paired with salad, I think it’s safe to say it’s become one of our new go-to recipes. I love that it made a full casserole dish full plus another smaller dish, because who doesn’t love their doorbell ringing at 9pm to a surprise piping hot stuffed shell delivery?

Ingredients:

• 1 (12oz) package of jumbo pasta shells
• 4 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
• 12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 cup parmesan (grated or shredded is fine)
• 1 large jar of spaghetti sauce
• 4 packed, heaping cups of spinach, rough chopped and stems removed
• 1 lb ground Italian Sausage

Instructions:

• In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat. In the same saucepan, cover and cook spinach until wilted or about 1-2 minutes. Cook the shells according to package directions (I cooked them until they were pliable for filling – about 7 minutes- and no more).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 8oz of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan, eggs, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir in the spinach.
• Coat the bottom of a 9x13in pan with the entire jar of spaghetti sauce. Spoon the cheese mixture into the shells and place shells open side up, very close together in the dish. There will be more shells than will fit into this pan and you can either make a second smaller pan or freeze for future use. Sometimes the shells also break in the box so this is fine.

• Sprinkle the cooked sausage over the top of the shells.

• Then sprinkle with the remaining 4oz of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*Note: This recipe is adapted from Craving Some Creativity