Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients
1 pound large pasta shells
2 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed if cased
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 ounces each) cans diced tomatoes
1 pound baby spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta shells according to package directions for baked dishes.  Drain well then transfer shells to ice water to keep them pliable until ready to stuff. 

2. Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted.  (You might need to add spinach in batches depending on your pan size.)  Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese. 

4. Working one pasta shell at a time, fill each shell with pork mixture and arrange in a 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then back 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown. 

Comments
This recipe is from Inspired Taste but I altered it to use fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach.  I believe that, next time, I’ll nuke the spinach briefly in order to remove moisture.  These ended up being a bit wet due to the spinach!  They were delicious, though, and Lance and Art loved them.  Leftovers were demolished before I even had a chance to look for them in the fridge.

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