with pasta, tomato sauce and cheese. Stuffed shells is one of those
perfect meals that your whole family will love. I love cooking Italian
food; it is always my go to cuisine when I need something delicious for a nice
family evening. Last time I wanted to make stuffed shells, I
experimented with some flavors. I really wanted to add some spinach but I knew
that my carnivore hubby would whine. My brilliant idea was to add bacon pieces
too. These shells turned out very good and the flavor combination was just right.
Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Shells
Makes 12 stuffed shells
Ingredients:
12-14 pasta shells (you need 12 but cook a couple extra just in case some break)
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
5-6 slices of bacon, crispy and broken in pieces
8 oz Ricotta cheese
1 tbs minced fresh Parsley
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, to mix in
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for topping
1 1/2 cups (2 if you like it saucy) of Marinara sauce
Salt, pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta shells according to the package, drain and set aside. (rinsing with cold water will help to keep the shells from sticking to each other)
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, bacon pieces, parsley, mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until evenly incorporated.
4. Spread 1/2 cup of Marinara sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. (I used 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 size casserole dish)
5. Carefully stuff the shells with the spinach/cheese mixture. Lay the shells in the casserole dish. It will fit 12.
6. Spread the remaining Marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!!
Lyuba Brooke is an author and creator of Will Cook For Smiles. She enjoys coming up with new creations for her husband and son and hearing all the yummy noise while they eat! She loves sharing all her recipes and especially loves knowing that they are being used.