Spinach Stuffed Shells

The weather here in Phoenix dropped from a hot, hot, hot 91 degrees down to a crisp 74 degrees in a matter of a day over the weekend. And what better way to celebrate this beautiful weather than to have family and friends over for stuffed shells made with spinach and homemade red sauce, served with a side of roasted asparagus. And thank goodness for those extra dinner guests, becuase I definitely could have eaten each and every stuffed shell myself. 


Stuffed Shells


Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 lb. Spinach
• 2 cloves garlic,  minced
• 1/2 lb. Ricotta
• 1/2 lb. Mozarella, shredded
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp. Basil, chopped.
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook the pasta shells in boiling water for about 10 minutes until al dente.

In a saute pan cover spinach with 4 tbsp. of water and cook until wilted; stirring occasionally.
Once the spinach has cooled a bit, drain any excess water and chop roughly.

In a large bowl add spinach, garlic, ricotta,  mozarella, eggs, and basil to make the filling.

In a baking dish spoon enough marinara to cover bottom of pan. Fill each shell with a couple spoonfuls of the spinach and cheese mixture. Place on the baking dish and cover with remaining marinara.

Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and finish cooking another 10 minutes. Serve hot.