Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 package (453 g) Sweet Italian Ground Sausage
- 1 package (454 g) lumaconi pasta shells
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 recipe Classic Italian Tomato Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup cooked spinach, liquid removed and finely chopped
- 1 container (454 g) of whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried basil
Instructions
- Prepare one recipe for Sugo al Pomodoro (you may also use your favorite jarred tomato sauce). Cook and prepare spinach and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, add a bit of oil and cook the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add sausage and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain any excess liquid. Break up the ground sausage into smaller pieces while cooking. I like to cook until crispy edges. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine egg, spinach, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmigiano or Parmesan cheese, basil, and prepared sausage. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells* according to package directions until al-dente. Drain and set on a clean tea towel, so they do not stick together as you are stuffing them individually.
- Coat the sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with olive oil. Pour half of the prepared tomato sauce into the baking dish.
- Stuff shells with meat and cheese mixture; arrange in the prepared baking dish. Depending on how you arrange the shells you may need to stack them in order to fit them all the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
Notes
*make sure to follow my guide on how to cook pasta perfectly every time!
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian