Stuffed Shells

We tried this new recipe out last week and it was so good that I thought I would share. It makes a lot, so you'll have enough to freeze (which we did). You can also make it healthier by using turkey sausage like we did. It tastes just as good as regular sausage so you won't know the difference.

Here's a photo of our finished product:



Stuffed Shells
Prep: 1 hr 15 min
Start to Finish: 1 hr 50 min
Ingredients
30 jumbo pasta shells (12-oz package)
3 links hot or sweet sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz white button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg
1 tsp kosher salt
1-3/4 cups shredded Italian blend cheeses
1 cup (2 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 12-oz eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 26- to 28-oz jar garden-style pasta sauce
Directions
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 min. Drain and rinse pasta; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, onion and mushrooms, breaking up sausage until onion is tender, 8 to 10 min; 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.

4. In same skillet, cook eggplant, stirring until just softened, about 8 min. Add pasta sauce and remaining salt and bring to a boil.

5. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spoon 2/3 of the eggplant sauce into the bottom of a shallow 2-1/2-quart casserole dish. Fill each shell with about 2 tbsp sausage mixture, arrange in dish and spoon remaining sauce over shells. (Wrap and freeze at this point if desired.)

6. Cover and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 25 min. Remove from oven and sprinkle shells with 1-1/4 cups cheese blend; bake, uncovered, until cheese has melted, 8 to 10 min. Serves 10.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 350, Total Fat (g) 12.5, Saturated Fat (g) 5, Cholesterol (mg) 60, Sodium (mg) 920, Carbohydrate (g) 40, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 20, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: Ladies Home Journal