CanadaDinner
Simple Spinach and Shells “Lasagna”
Active Time: 25 minutes • Total Time: 55 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups Earthbound Farm organic spinach
- 3 cups your favorite pasta sauce
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
Who doesn’t love a good lasagna? But it can be quite a lot of work and take a long time. So we worked out this version of stuffed shells that satisfies the lasagna itch in a much simpler way. Use your favorite homemade or store bought pasta sauce and you’ll be amazed at how fast this comes together. It’s so simple you’ll be slinging it out on the regular for weeknight dinners. Note: the recipe calls for spinach, but you could easily substitute our power greens, baby kale, or any of our spinach blends.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. Drain, rinse in cold water to arrest the cooking, and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup of your tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9×9 dish.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the sausage, cooking until browned. Add the spinach to the pan and continue to cook until wilted. Stir in 1 cup of your pasta sauce and set aside.
In a small bowl stir together the ricotta, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, Parmesan, and egg. Stir the mixture in with your sausage.
Spoon a hearty amount of the filling into each shell. Place into your prepared baking dish and continue until all are filled. Smother with remaining 1 cup of sauce and generously sprinkle with mozzarella.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for an additional ten minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Spinach and shell lasagne
Recipe calls for 3 cups sauce, but only lists 2 in ingredients. Haven’t tasted yet. Hope I’m not disappointed.
Made today, still in frig.
Thanks for catching that, Barbara. That’s a typo in the ingredients — should have been 3 cups. We look forward to hearing how it turns out. Which way did you go? 3 or 2?