Spinach Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipes

SAUSAGE-SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the stuffed shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until just slightly softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with olive oil and toss; set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and stir until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Combine the spinach mixture, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, the parmesan, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter with the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the flour and whisk constantly until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add the milk and cream, bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg to taste.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil and pour in about two-thirds of the cheese sauce. Add the stuffed shells and top with the remaining cheese sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and top with the marinara sauce and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella; continue baking until the sauce is bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes.

SPINACH & SAUSAGE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions.
• Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.
• Combine remaining ingredients, except spaghetti sauce, in a large bowl and mix well.
• Fill each pasta shell with 3 tablespoons of filling.
• Place in a baking dish and top with spaghetti sauce.
• Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 30 minutes.
• To freeze: Freeze before baking.
• You may freeze individually wrapped shells without sauce, or freeze sauce-topped shells in baking dish.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH, RICOTTA STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
• Cook onions, then sausage, then add garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Lower the heat to medium. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.
• Make ricotta spinach stuffing: Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture.
• Fill pasta shells with stuffing: Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.
• Arrange stuffed shells on chopped canned tomatoes in baking dish: Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells. At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)
• Bake: Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Recipe adapted from recipe on box of Barilla jumbo pasta shells, and a recipe appearing in the Sacramento Bee.

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta shells then follow package directions for cooking the shells. Drain, and then rinse the shells with cold water.
• Meanwhile, heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the sausage cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into small pieces in the pan.
• Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, as well as the thawed and ringed out spinach. Cook until heated through and liquid reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then stir in the ricotta cheese. Taste for seasoning then adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill each shell with sausage filling and arrange into the baking dish. Scatter mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until the tips of the shells begin to brown and the cheese has melted, about 25 minutes. Serve with a warm marinara sauce (optional).

SPINACH- AND CHEESE- STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Squeeze spinach dry. Transfer spinach to large bowl. Add ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, fennel, basil and garlic to bowl. Season mixture with salt and pepper; blend.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over bottom of 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with spinach mixture. Place shells, filling side up, in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover loosely with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place drained pasta on baking sheet to cool.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Cook and crumble sausage until it has lost its pink color and begins to brown. Remove from heat; drain off grease.
• Stir half of the shredded cheese and the Italian seasoning into the browned sausage. Spoon mixture into the pasta shells (1 to 2 tablespoons per shell). Arrange stuffed shells in prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of Italian seasoning, if desired.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

CHEESE & SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente; drain and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain and return to pan. Add cream cheese; cook and stir until melted., Transfer to a large bowl; cool slightly. Stir in spinach and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; mix well. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Spread 1-1/3 cups sauce onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish and 2/3 cup sauce over the bottom of a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Fill pasta shells with sausage mixture; arrange over sauce. Top with remaining sauce., Bake, covered, 45 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

SPINACH, CHEESE, AND SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS OAMC

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to directions. Drain, rinse, and let drain again.
• Saute onion in oil about 5 minutes. Add ground sausage and garlic. Cook until sausage is done. Cool.
• Beat egg slightly. Add ricotta cheese, mozzerella cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, and cooled sausage mixture. Mix well.
• Stuff shells. (This is where I flash-froze half of them).
• Put 1 c of spagetti sauce in bottom of corningware (or 9x13 pan, or something else). Add shells. Pour the rest of the sauce on top. Sprinkle with more mozzerella or parmesan cheese, if desired.
• Cook at 350 for 30 minutes, covered. Cook 10 minutes uncovered.