Shelly's Recipe

Pasta Shells Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese

Category: Pasta - Baked

2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper

3 and 1/2 cups marinara or tomato sauce
32 jumbo pasta shells, freshly cooked
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Squeeze spinach dry. Transfer spinach to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic to bowl. Season mixture with salt and pepper; blend.

Preheat oven to 350. Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish.

Fill each pasta shell with spinach mixture.

Place shells, filling side up, in dish.

Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese separately. Serves 6.