Cheese Blondue: Stuffed Shells with Cheese & Spinach

OK so this recipe isn't as "healthy" as our recipes have been so far this year...but can you blame a girl for wanting some good Italian cheese-stuffed shells in her life? This is a good vegetarian dish too since the shells only have spinach in them, but if you absolutely need some protein in your meal, you could add shredded chicken inside and that would be great too. I always boil a few more shells than I think I will need because they sometimes can break apart either while they are boiling or when you are trying to fill them. This recipe makes about 12 - 15 shells. Also, since I don't typically make my own marinara sauce (*GASP*), I like to amp up store bought sauce by sauteing some peppers, onions and garlic in a skillet and then once they are browned, I add them in with the marinara sauce to give a more homemade-y feel.

Ingredients

Jumbo pasta shells (about 15)

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1.5 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

1 jar marinara sauce

Optional: Sauteed onions and peppers to add to the marinara sauce.

1. Cook jumbo pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water. Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, add ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic, pepper and basil. Mix together and then fold in the chopped spinach.