Stuffed Shells

Italian Main Recipes

30 Jumbo pasta shells (12 oz. package) 3 links hot or sweet sausage, casings removed 1 med. onion, finely chopped 8 oz. white button mushrooms, finely chopped 1 cup part-skim ricotta 1 large egg 1 tsp. kosher salt 1.75 cups shredded Italian blend cheeses 1 cup (2 oz.) baby spinach leaves One 12-oz. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch diced pieces One 26-28 oz. jar garden-style pasta sauce

Note: Stolen from the Jan. 2009 issue of Ladies Home Journal. Now maybe I'll make the recipe since it's here, rather than sitting in the Great Big Pile of Paperdom! HAHAHAHA 1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add pasta and stir. Bring back to a boil; cover and remove from heat; let stand 10 mins. Drain and rinse pasta; set aside. 2. In a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat, cook sausage, onion and mushrooms, breaking up sausage until onion is tender, about 8-10 mins.; set aside. 3. In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup cheese blend and spinach. Stir in cooked sausage mixture; set aside. In same skillet, cook eggplant, stirring until just softened, about 8 mins. Add pasta sauce and remaining salt and bring to a boil. 4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon 2/3 of the eggplant sauce into the bottom of a shallow 2.5 quart casserole dish. Fill each shell with about 2 Tbsp. sausage mixture, arrange in dish and spoon remaining sauce over shells. (You can wrap and freeze at this point if desired. Wrap dish well in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw overnight in fridge and bake for 15 mins. more than recipe directs.) 5. Cover and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 25 mins. Remove from oven and sprinkle shells with 1.25 cups cheese blend; bake, uncovered, until cheese has melted, 8 - 10 mins. Serves 10. Enjoy! -Diana Per serving: 350 calories, 12.5 g. total fat (5 g. saturated), 920 mg. sodium, 40 g. carbs, 60 mg. cholesterol, 20 g. protein, 3 g. fiber.

Submitted by Diana Bogue
Contributed on: Wednesday February 18th, 2009