Stuffed Shells

Makes: 35 shells and fills 2 9x13 pans

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

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Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage (cooked, drained, & cooled)
12 oz jumbo pasta shells (about 35 shells)
2 large eggs (beaten)
32 oz ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
8 oz parmesan cheese (grated - divided)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
48 oz pasta sauce

Instructions:

If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 2 9x13 baking dishes.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
While the pasta is cooking, brown the sausage in a frying pan. Drain the excess grease and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, the parsley, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Stuff the cooked shells with the ricotta mixture and place in the prepared pans.
*It works well to spoon the ricotta mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut off the tip of the bag, and squeeze the filling into the shells. (You could also use a piping bag.)
In a medium bowl, stir together the pasta sauce, meat, and most of the reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over the stuffed shells and top with the remaining mozzarella.
At this point, you can cover the pans and freeze or refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them.
Bake in a preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the shells are slightly set.
*If the shells are frozen, add some time to the baking.

Notes:

Make Ahead: This is a great meal to make ahead. You can either refrigerate or freeze until baking time. Just remember to adjust the baking time accordingly (and if baking from the freezer, put the cold pan in the oven when you turn it on so the pan can warm up slowly).