Classic Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells with Italian sausage, ground beef, spinach, garlic and herbs stuffed in jumbo shells then topped with sauce and cheese!

Today's the first day of my birthday month. That's not usually a big deal but I turn 40 this year.

Eeek, right?

Not really. I’m kinda ready to be 40. I’m going to own my forties.

My twenties were about being young and free and stupid and liberated and fun and easy and quirky and adventurous and independent and ballsy. I can honestly say, I left no stone unturned. It was awesome. But ballsy adventures can’t last forever and toward the end of your twenties you start yearning for something more. Something with roots.

My thirties were about starting my life with my husband and babies. Those years were glorious and scary and beautiful and hard and spiritual and challenging and rewarding and teary and deep and inspiring and I had to dig for so much more than I thought I had and I almost ran dry but I didn’t and I learned what love is. My thirties were hardest. And my thirties rewarded me with the most.

Turning forty brings with it the realization that youth is not, in fact, eternal. So while my body still works like it’s supposed to, I am going to celebrate it. And I’m going to embrace the people around me because they are the people I choose.

Forty means I choose my tribe.

I am so blessed. I AM SO BLESSED. I am married to the love of my life. To a man who makes me laugh. I love him SO HARD and he loves me back even more. And our children are happily, healthily tumbling down their roads of life. They are kind little people with beautiful minds, gentle hearts and whole bodies and I am so grateful. SO GRATEFUL.

And what, you must be thinking, does any of this have to do with stuffed shells?!?!

Nothing!

But it’s my blog and I do what I want! (you can say stuff like that in your forties!)

OK, so this is the recipe I make when I need to feed anywhere from 6 to 60 people. This is a great recipe for feeding a crowd because you can double or quadruple it without any special effort. If I knew the words for multiplying things by 8 or 10 I'd tell you you can do that too!

This is also my go-to because even the pickiest of eaters will love it. If my super picky 8-yr old can't tell there's spinach in this, neither will anyone else!

These are also AWESOME to freeze! I make up the shells then place them on a pan, then pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, I move the shells to gallon-sized freezer bags. You can take as many out as you need at a time then heat with a jar of sauce. How easy is that?!

If you’d like to change things up a bit, feel free to use alfredo sauce instead of marinara!

Classic Stuffed Shells

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

prep time: 20 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 50 M

Classic Stuffed Shells with Italian sausage, ground beef, spinach, garlic and herbs stuffed in jumbo shells then topped with sauce and cheese!

ingredients:

• 10-oz jumbo shell pasta (approximately 20-25 shells)
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed if applicable
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 10-oz box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce, divided
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce (Italian flavored preferred)
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

instructions:

How to cook Classic Stuffed Shells

1. Cook shells in liberally salted water per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation. Drain then set aside.
2. Mix marinara sauce with tomato sauce then set aside.
3. Crumble sausage and ground beef in a large skillet and cook until nicely browned. Drain fat then add meat to a large mixing bowl. Add drained spinach, parmesan cheese, garlic, pepper, salt and 3/4 cup marinara sauce then mix well to combine.
4. Spoon 1 cup of tomato sauce mixture into the bottom of a large baking dish (13x9 to 15x10). Stuff shells with sausage mixture then arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. If you have any sausage mixture left over, just spoon it on top of or in between the shells. Pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over shells. Top with cheese then bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Rest dish, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES:

You really have to drain the spinach well. I usually wring it out with my hands to get all the water out of it.
Make sure all of the pasta shells are covered with sauce or cheese so they don't dry out and get hard while baking in the oven.
You don't have to use the spinach if you're deathly allergic to it or hate it.
Yes, you can use your own homemade sauce.
You can use mild or sweet sausage instead of hot.
If you use fresh spinach, you'll need to saute it first to cook out some of the water.
If using shredded parmesan instead of grated, use a whole cup.

italian, pasta, shells, marinara, easy, sausage, ground beef, mozzarella, parmesan, how to, best, recipe, hamburger

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