Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Sausage
Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Sausage is one of my favorite restaurant-quality Italian meals to make at home. Stuffed shells feel fancy, but they are easy to make. The robust flavors in these shells come from spinach, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese and sausage. Just pour red sauce over the top, pop in the oven and a great family meal comes together!
Servings 8 people
Calories 645kcal
Ingredients
- 1 box large shells cooked
- 10 ounce box frozen chopped spinach defrosted
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 pound Italian sausage cooked and finely crumbled, optional
- 24 ounce jar red pasta sauce
Instructions
- Cook shells in well-salted water according to directions on the box.
- If using sausage, brown while pasta cooks.
- Mix together stuffing ingredients very well
- Use a tablespoon to stuff shells. Spread one, even layer of stuffed shells in a greased casserole dish. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 and a 9 x 9 dish full for me.
- Pour red pasta sauce over the top of shells. Bake for 30 minutes at 350ºF until dish is warmed through.
- Serve immediately and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- If using sausage crumble into very small, even-sized pieces
- Mix the stuffing ingredients well to make sure flavors are evenly distributed in every shell and every bite
- Run cooked shells under cold water to cool more quickly and avoid burning your fingers while stuffing
- Fill shells in the same pan with equal amounts of stuffing
- A single layer of shells cooks best in a baking dish
- Broken shells and stuffing can be layered in a small dish or in the corner of a baking dish - they will still taste great, but won't look as nice as the rest of the dish
- Red sauce can be added when reheating shells if necessary
- Store shells in the refrigerator
- I use a 9 x 13 and a 9 x 9 baking dish for this recipe
Nutrition
Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5139IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 469mg | Iron: 3mg