Stuffed Shells

Italian
Main Dishes
PREP TIME:
30 minutes

SERVES:

6

TOTAL COOKING TIME:

30 minutes
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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 package (12 oz) jumbo shell macaroni
  • 1 jar (32 oz) spaghetti sauce
  • 2 packages frozen leaf spinach (10 oz ea), thawed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lb Ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese, shedded
  • 1 tsp onion salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • Optional: 1/2 lb Italian sweet sausage

DIRECTIONS

  1. 1.
    Cook shells, following package directions, until al dente. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  2. 2.
    If using optional sausage, spit sausage casings with a sharp knife and peel them off. Crumble meat into a large skillet. Brown over medium heat, stirring frequently. Drain off fat.
  3. 3.
    Add spaghetti sauce to the browned meat in skillet. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  4. 4.
    While sausage/spaghetti sauce mixture is simmering, place thawed spinach in a strainer, press out excess moisture by hand. Remove and chop coarsely.
  5. 5.
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. 6.
    In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add chopped spinach, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese, onion salt, garlic powder and nutmeg. Mix until all ingredients are blended.
  7. 7.
    Pour about 3/4 cup of sausage/spaghetti sauce mixture into bottom of a casserole dish. Sutff each of cooked shells with 2 rounded teaspoons of the spinach cheese filling.
  8. 8.
    Arrange shells in a single layer in casserole dish.
  9. 9.
    Pour remaining sauce mixture over shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake shells at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove shells from oven and serve hot.