Stuffed Lumaconi Pasta Recipe with Ricotta and Sausage

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 package Sweet Italian Ground Sausage (453 g)

1 package lumaconi pasta shells (454 g)

2 cloves garlic (diced)

½ cup yellow onion (diced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 recipe Classic Italian Tomato Sauce

1 egg (beaten)

1 cup cooked spinach (liquid removed and finely chopped)

1 container whole milk ricotta cheese (454 g)

2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)

¼ cup fresh basil leaves (chopped or 1 tablespoon dried basil)

Directions

Prepare one recipe for Sugo al Pomodoro (you may also use your favorite jarred tomato sauce). Cook and prepare spinach and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, add a bit of oil and cook the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add sausage and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain any excess liquid. Break up the ground sausage into smaller pieces while cooking. I like to cook until crispy edges. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine egg, spinach, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmigiano or Parmesan cheese, basil, and prepared sausage. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells* according to package directions until al-dente. Drain and set on a clean tea towel, so they do not stick together as you are stuffing them individually.

Coat the sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with olive oil. Pour half of the prepared tomato sauce into the baking dish.

Stuff shells with meat and cheese mixture; arrange in the prepared baking dish. Depending on how you arrange the shells you may need to stack them in order to fit them all the baking dish.

Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Nutrition

• Calories: 947 kcal
• Total Fat: 52 g
• Saturated Fat: 24 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
• Trans Fat: 0.003 g
• Cholesterol: 176 mg
• Sodium: 1248 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 72 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 46 g