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Tuscan Stuffed Shells

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Fusion

Ingredients
  

  • jumbo shells (whole box)
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
  • 1 lb mild Italian sausage (or spicy if preferred)
  • 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes (puréed to a paste)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if you like a bit of heat)
  • 1 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 cups spinach (whole or chopped)
  • 15 oz ricotta
  • 1 jar marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheese (I like Monterey but mozzarella works too)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees a prepare a pot of water to boil for the shells.
  • To a large oven safe pan or skillet* over medium heat, add the oil and onions and sauté for about 5-10 minutes until they start to slightly brown.
    Get the shells cooking once the water is boiling.
  • Add the lemon juice and zest, seasonings, sausage, and tomato paste.
  • Once sausage is browned add garlic, spinach and ricotta. Mix until combined. Remove from heat.
  • Fill the shells with the filling and set to the side, fill your skillet or oven safe dish with the tomato sauce and assemble the stuffed shells in whatever pattern you like, top with shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes the cheese will start to have a golden color, remove from the oven when the browning starts.
    Garnish with parsley if desired and enjoy!

Notes

* I like to transfer the cooked filling to a bowl so I can put the shells directly back in the pan. If you don’t have an oven safe skillet you can cook the filling in whatever you have and then put the stuffed shells in a casserole dish.
Keyword italian, sausage, shells, stuffed, tuscan