Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Shells

For some people, they can look in the pantry or fridge and suddenly a lightbulb comes on. Within moments they know exactly what they're going to throw together to pull off dinner in a pinch. Well, I'm not one of those people. I would love to be able to do that type of meal planning on the fly, but I need a little more structure and preparation... at least most of the time. So perhaps that is why I was so impressed with myself the other night. When asked "What's for dinner?" I took a look into the fridge and quick glance into the cupboard and BAM! I had a plan!

Consider this a hybrid between my South of the Border Stuffed Shells and Stuffed Chicken Florentine. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained


• 1/2 lb spicy ground sausage


• 1/2 (4 oz) block of cream cheese (leftover from these amazing cupcakes)


• 11 large pasta shells


• 1/2 cup chopped onions


• 1 cup pasta sauce


• Shredded cheese (optional)


• Oil for skillet

Direction:

• Brown ground sausage, set aside.


• In another large skillet, heat oil. Add onion; sautee until onion is transparent. Stir in spinach and cheese to form stuffing. Add cooked sausage. Heat through.


• 


• While meat mixture is cooling, cook the pasta shells and drain. Set them aside on a cutting board but keep them separated or they will stick together.


• Pour some of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.


• Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with more sauce.


• Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
  After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle cheese on top. Cook for about 10 more minutes.

An easy and quick weeknight meal! I will say, the stuffing was very rich and I would considering skipping the optional/additional cheese topping. I might even reduce the cream cheese a bit, add a little more sausage, and throw in some chopped mushrooms. Now THAT sounds good.

In fact, doesn't it look delicious without the extra cheese?

Stuffed shells are so versatile. The jumbo shells are a great pantry item to keep stocked. You can get creative and fill them with just about anything you want!