Giant Stuffed Pasta Shells

Yummy and easy shells, stuffed with garlic, thyme, mushrooms, and spinach ricotta. Perfect for a weeknight dinner! Add more cheese or any kind of meat! A lamb/pork mixture is really good; get a nice sear on it and add it to the spinach and mushroom (sans ricotta) maybe some goat cheese? Have fun with it!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 434 Calories

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, chopped
• 24 lumaconi pasta shells
• 2 teaspoons ground thyme

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir mushrooms and garlic in hot oil until mushrooms are soft, about 7 minutes. Stir spinach and thyme into the mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir the mixture until the spinach wilts. Remove the skillet from heat and drain any excess liquid; transfer drained mixture to a large bowl.

Step 4

Mix ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese with the spinach mixture; season again with salt and pepper and stuff into pasta shells.

Step 5

Arrange stuffed shells into a 9x11-inch baking dish. Pour pasta sauce over the shells; top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Step 6

Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the shells are hot, about 30 minutes.