This dish can be prepared in advance left in the refrigerator and put into the oven whenever you’re ready to eat. The large conchiglie pasta shells are generous stuffed with a flavorful Italian sausage and three of your favorite Italian cheeses of ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Placed on a bed of rustic marinara sauce, you and the family will come to love eating these wonderful large stuffed shells that are filled with traditional Italian flavors. Buon Appetito!

  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 25 mins 
  • Active: 50 mins

Ingredients (22)

  • 1 package jumbo pasta shells
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 cups spinach
  • 1 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
  • {1 cup} mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 16 ounce marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese

For garnish

  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • Basil leaves
  • Remaining marinara sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions. Let the pasta shells cool in a bowl of ice water. Take out and lay on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Set aside.
  3. For the pasta shell filling, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. When oil is hot, add in chopped onions and garlic. Cook until onions are softened and garlic is fragrant. Add in Italian sausage and cook until meat is done. Add in spinach, and cook until wilted. Take sausage mixture off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, add in ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, eggs, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together. Stir in cooled sausage mixture.
  5. Grease a 9”x13” baking pan. Spread two-thirds of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking pan. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with sausage ricotta mixture. Set filled shells in baking pan on top of the marinara sauce. Top pasta shells with mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Garnish with parmesan cheese, torn basil leaves, and remaining marinara sauce.