Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells
From the heat of the sausage, the richness of the cheeses along with the earthiness of the sauce, this Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells is a tasty meal to enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 can (28 oz.) San Marzano peeled tomatoes, crushed
- 1 1/2 lbs. hot Italian sausage, casings removed see Recipe
- 1 cup red onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red peppers, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 can (15.25 oz) corn kernels, drained
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar, such as demerara
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes *optional
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 4 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 container (500 ml./15 oz.) ricotta cheese tips & tricks
- 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
- 1 box (340 g./12 oz.) jumbo pasta shells
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped tips & tricks
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a 9x13 baking dish; set aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook hot Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.
- To the skillet, add onions, peppers and carrots; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, corn, red wine, brown sugar, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir very well, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer while stuffing the pasta shells.
- Fill up a large bowl with very hot water from the tap (not boiling water) and add half of the pasta shells to it. Let them sit until softened, about 15 minutes.
- When ready to stuff, drain them, fill up the bowl with very hot water again and add the other half while stuffing the first batch.
- In a medium bowl, combine sausage, spinach, ricotta and asiago; stir until combined.
- Spoon half of the tomato sauce in the prepared baking dish.
- Stuff soaked pasta shells with Italian mixture and place them in the prepared dish over the sauce.
- When all the shells are stuffed, spoon the remaining sauce over the stuffed pasta shells and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes before sprinkling on some fresh chopped parsley.