Ricotta Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm beginning to think that we eat pasta WAY. TOO. MUCH. It's not the skinniest of meals, but it's so good and so versatile. This recipe was a huge hit and I can't wait to make it again.

Ingredients:

Zest of 1 lemon

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

¾ Tsp. Sea Salt

4 Medium Cloves of Garlic (Can substitute with garlic powder if you don’t have fresh)

1 28oz can crushed red tomatoes

1 14oz can crushed red tomatoes

1 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 Egg, beaten

¼ Tsp. Sea Salt

16oz Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Italian Seasoning

 1 Tsp. Basil

1 Cup Grated Part Skim Mozzarella

25-30 Jumbo Shells – Preferably whole grain if you can find them

Directions:

Oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish and sprinkle the zest of ½ of the lemon across it. Set the dish aside. Boil a large pot of water and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make the sauce you will need to get a large saucepan and add the following ingredients: olive oil, red pepper flakes, sea salt and garlic. Stir the mixture over medium-high heat and sauté for about one minute. Now, stir in your tomatoes and heat to a simmer for a minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the filling combine the ricotta, egg, salt, spinach, Italian seasoning, basil, mozzarella and remaining lemon zest. Stir well.

Cook the shells according to the package directions until just al dente. DO NOT OVERCOOK because then they will fall apart when stuffing. Let the shells cool.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce across the bottom of your dish. Fill each shell with the prepared filling. Arrange the shells in a single layer and then cover with the remaining sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake until slightly brown on top.


I hope you enjoy this as much as we all did!