Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

 Yet another pinterest find for me from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells (if all of yours survive the boil this is enough, to be safe you may want 1 1/2 boxes)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I think you could get away with one package)

1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (this was just enough. If you like it saucier use more)

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set shells out individually on a cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.

3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. *Tip: For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock baggie with the filling and snip a quarter size hole off the corner of the bag. Then you can just pipe the filling into the shells.

4. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.

5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.
Source: posted by Sisters Cafe; original recipe by Paula Deen

They look like a hot mess but these two are the all that was left...

My Notes:

I deviated from this recipe only because my iPad kept locking itself and I tired of typing in my password so I tried to do it from memory. Oops.

I only used one package of cream cheese and my ricotta was moldy (crap) so I threw some swiss cheese in the mixture to add some more cheesy-ness. I also forgot parsley but I'm ok with that.

9 WW pts on Points Plus

Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach

This is another pinterest find for me. It smelled awesome while cooking. It made 21 shells. I sent 8 home with my mom and we had the remaining 13. Of those 13 there was only 3 left after dinner. I call that a success. Here's the recipe.

BakedShells with Sausage and Spinach Recipe

Serves: 4 (not really, this fed 5)

 Ingredients

• 16-18 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage links, casing removed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage, cook 5-6 minutes until browned.
4. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes and spinach; cook 1 minute.
5. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.
6. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch baking dish works well). Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.

Jeff over-cheesed it a little....

My notes:

I HATE frozen spinach. Seriously. I pretty much refuse to use it. I chalk it up to an unpleasant situation at the cafeteria at work.  Sooo that being said I used fresh spinach (about 2 loose cups) instead of frozen spinach. I went to the butcher counter and asked for Italian sausage, why get links instead of bulk sausage? I also added some marinara sauce to the top of the shells. Totally made the dish. Try it, you won't be sorry. The kid even ate the spinach.... there's something to be said for that.

Update: Not only did the kid eat this, she has requested it again. Success!