Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipes

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta shells then follow package directions for cooking the shells. Drain, and then rinse the shells with cold water.
• Meanwhile, heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the sausage cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into small pieces in the pan.
• Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, as well as the thawed and ringed out spinach. Cook until heated through and liquid reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then stir in the ricotta cheese. Taste for seasoning then adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill each shell with sausage filling and arrange into the baking dish. Scatter mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until the tips of the shells begin to brown and the cheese has melted, about 25 minutes. Serve with a warm marinara sauce (optional).

SAUSAGE, SPINACH, RICOTTA STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
• Cook onions, then sausage, then add garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Lower the heat to medium. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.
• Make ricotta spinach stuffing: Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture.
• Fill pasta shells with stuffing: Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.
• Arrange stuffed shells on chopped canned tomatoes in baking dish: Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells. At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)
• Bake: Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Recipe adapted from recipe on box of Barilla jumbo pasta shells, and a recipe appearing in the Sacramento Bee.

SHELLS WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain.
• 2. In a Dutch oven, cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
• 3. Using a pastry brush, coat sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with oil.
• 4. Pour half of the marinara sauce into baking dish.
• 5. In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 2-½ cups of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, basil, pepper and prepared sausage.
• 6. Stuff shells with meat mixture; arrange in baking dish.
• 7. Pour remaining marinara sauce over shells.
• 8. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• 9. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• 10. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
• 11. Sprinkle with parsley.
• 12. Serve.

SAUSAGE-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Set half of the sausage aside for filling. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, brown sugar and Italian seasoning to sausage in pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally., In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, parsley and reserved sausage. Stuff into shells. Spread 1/4 cup meat sauce in an ungreased 1-qt. shallow baking dish. Place stuffed shells in dish; drizzle with remaining meat sauce. , Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese if desired. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until filling reaches 160°.

SAUSAGE-AND-KALE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook shells in a large pot of salted boiling water 5 minutes; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage; cook, breaking up with spoon, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add kale and 2 tablespoons water to pan and cook, stirring, until wilted about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add to sausage. Let cool completely then coarsely chop mixture.
• Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmigiano, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons filling. Spread 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with shells; spread 1 1/2 cups sauce over shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano. Cover with parchment- lined foil.To Freeze: Freeze 1 hour, then wrap entire dish in plastic and keep in freezer up to 3 months. To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic. Bake, covered, until heated through and bubbling around edges, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling and golden in spots, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.To Bake and Serve: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic. Bake, covered, until heated through and bubbling around edges, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling and golden in spots, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

SAUSAGE-STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cool water; drain.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. Stir ricotta cheese and egg into sausage.
• In medium bowl, mix tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. In 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spoon 1 cup tomato sauce mixture over bottom. Spoon about 2 tablespoons sausage mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange shells on sauce in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over stuffed shells.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

SAUSAGE-SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the stuffed shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until just slightly softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with olive oil and toss; set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and stir until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Combine the spinach mixture, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, the parmesan, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter with the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the flour and whisk constantly until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add the milk and cream, bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg to taste.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil and pour in about two-thirds of the cheese sauce. Add the stuffed shells and top with the remaining cheese sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and top with the marinara sauce and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella; continue baking until the sauce is bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes.

SAUSAGE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and set aside.
• Remove and discard casings from sausage.
• Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain.
• Combine sausage, salt, pepper, egg, and breadcrumbs in skillet; set aside.
• Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Spoon sausage mixture into shells, and place in baking dish.
• Pour remaining sauce over shells.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees, for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with cheese, and bake, uncovered 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.