Eats | Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

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All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Italian food is always a crowd-pleaser in our house.  So much so that my girls would probably eat pasta everyday if I let them.  We don’t for obvious reasons, but once every other week or so we have a yummy pasta dish with no guilt!

This past week these Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells were on the menu.  Like I do with a lot of my recipes, I threw these ingredients together as I went along, but the end result was a delicious and cheesy masterpiece. The star of the show being the freshly grated parmesan cheese for the filling and topping.  I’m telling you, if you’ve never grated your own parm you are missing out on something great. There is just no comparison to the flavor of the fresh compared to the pre-grated from the store.  The fresh wins every time!

Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells

serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1lb sweet Italian sausage
• 20 shells (about half a box)
• 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/8 tsp salt & pepper
• 1tsp minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 jar marinara  or red sauce of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook pasta according to box directions. Strain and give them a quick cold rinse so they are easier to handle. Set aside.
3. Cook sausage until browned, drain grease. Set aside.
4. In large bowl combine all cheeses (ricotta, parm, and mozzarella), egg, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Add sausage.
5. In a casserole dish spread a generous layer of sauce in the bottom.
6. Start filling each shell with a generous amount of the cheese mixture.  Place each filled shell in the sauce. Repeat until all shells are filled.
7. Lightly pour sauce over all shells. Top with a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
8. Bake for 30 mins or until bubbly.

Serve this up with some warm crusty bread and a side salad and you’ll be good to go!

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is also perfect sliced for a cheese board, shaved in a fresh green salad, and of course, grated and sprinkled over your favorite pizza or pasta dish. Delish!

You can search other great recipes by visiting http://parmesan.com/recipes-with-parmesan/