Happy Friday and happy summer!! Several people have asked me why I haven’t posted lately… honestly, LIFE! Life has been movin’ and groovin’ and I’m just lucky to be holding on for the ride!
We recently moved apartments, I changed jobs, trying to take more classes so I can finish my masters {sooner rather than later}, and being a wife and {dog} mom can all be overwhelming at times. So, the blog has unintentionally taken a backseat:/
I so enjoy sharing recipes, adventures and featuring talent and small businesses, so I am going to try my best to keep it going! And what better way to jump back into things than with an Italian comfort dish?! Every now and then I crave a good, cheesy pasta dish… I’m human! I made these stuff shells last night and they are mouth watering delicious!! The full recipe was a lot, so I halved it and made some {skinny} changes so the overall guilt wouldn’t be as bad!
Top with Parsley (which I forgot to do in the pics– whoops!) Serve and enjoy! Spinach Sausage Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1/2 package of jumbo pasta shells ~8 oz
- 15 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
- 6 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup parmesan grated or shredded
- ¾ jar of spaghetti sauce
- 3 cups packed fresh spinach roughly chopped
- ¾ lbs italian sausage can sub chicken sausage
- parsley for garnish
OPTIONAL
- diced veggies of your choice! *see notes*
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage, breaking it into pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat.
- In the same saucepan, cook spinach until wilted or about 1-2 minutes.
- Cook the shells according to package directions (try not to over cook the shells because they will get cooked more in the oven).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 4oz of mozzarella, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, egg, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir in the spinach and about 3/4 of the cooked sausage. *this is where you would add in any additional diced veggies*
- Coat the bottom of a 9x13in pan with all of the spaghetti sauce. Spoon the cheese & sausage mixture into the shells and place shells open side up, very close together in the dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining sausage over the top of the shells. Then sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 °F for 25-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Then remove foil and broil it on high for 3-5 minutes until cheese starts to get golden brown (watch closely because it can burn quickly).
- Allow to cool for a few minutes. Top with parsley and serve warm.
Making these tonight – I’m already drooling!!