Stuffed Shells

My sister and I were talking the other night about our upcoming family reunion (fondly referred to as "The Italian Picnic" by family members).  We were discussing what to make, which prompted me to dig this recipe out.  If you've had stuffed shells before and disliked them, I PROMISE that you will love these.  If you've had stuffed shells before and liked them, you will like this recipe even more.  And if you haven't had a stuffed shell ever in your life, well...you haven't lived.

These shells have the perfect cheese-to-spinach ratio and they are absolutely delicious.  They are easy to make and they feed a boatload of people.  My mom taught my sister and I to make these a long time ago...we used to take them to parties, at Christmas or for potlucks.  Other moms begged us for the recipe.  People have confessed to daydreaming about these stuffed shells.  But that's another story.  Here's what you'll need:

 

one 12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells

24 ounces ricotta cheese

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 to 3 eggs, beaten

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

10 oz box frozen spinach, cooked and drained (squeeze as much of the water out as you can)

1 tablespoon parsley

garlic salt to taste

1 jar pasta sauce (avoid watery marinara varieties)

 

Cook pasta shells al dente according to directions on the box and after draining, rise in cold water.  Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a layer of sauce (I use a 9x13 inch glass pan).   Mix together cheeses, eggs, spinach, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl.  Fill the shells with the cheese/spinach mixture and line them up in the baking dish.  Spoon more sauce over the tops of the filled shells and along the edges of the baking dish so that the shells don't dry out while baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour, until bubbly.