Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 package Jumbo Pasta Shells (16oz)

32 oz Ricotta (about 4 cups)

12 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 Eggs

4 tsp Garlic Powder *see note

1 tsp Dried Oregano

3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan

45 oz Spaghetti sauce (large jar)

4 cups Fresh Spinach (rough chopped and stems removed if you prefer)

1 lb Italian sausage (ground or casings removed)

parsley for garnish (dried or fresh)

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat.

Bring water to boil and add the shells. Cook the shells until they are pliable for filling and no more. This means the shells should still feel hard, but they are bendable for stuffing.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 8oz of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan, eggs, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir in the spinach.

Coat the bottom of a 9x13in pan with the 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce. Spoon the cheese mixture into the shells and place shells open side up, 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 (5x8 is good) or freeze for future use. Sometimes the shells also break in the box so this is fine.

Add the rest of the spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle the sausage over the top of the shells. Then sprinkle with the remaining 4oz of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil, preferably tented so it doesn't stick to the cheese. Bake for 25-40 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. The more packed/full the casserole dish, the longer it will take to bake. You know it's ready when the cheesy is melted and bubbly. Look for bubbles along the sides of the dish.

If you like a cheesy crust, you may broil it uncovered for 3-5 minutes (watch closely). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 410 kcal
• Total Fat: 22.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 98 mg
• Sodium: 1162 mg
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 25.3 g