If you search the archives of this blog, you will discover that there are no recipes for stuffed pasta of any sort. I have always assumed that they are too much work to make. As I typed that last sentence, I realized how bizzare that sounds, coming from someone who often posts cakes that take all day to create.

I was inspired to give stuffed shells a whirl after watching Jeff Mauro make these Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells on The Kitchen a few weeks ago. The base of most stuffed shell recipes consists of ricotta, mozzarella, and an egg. You can choose your own flavour adventure. I decided on kale and plant-based spicy sausage. Jeff made a delicious looking vodka-tomato-cream sauce to lay his shells on, but I took the easy route and pulled out a jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Not sponsored, just love it! Great price at Costco this week, by the way.)

Remember to cook the shells for a minute or two less than the package directions, as they will continue cooking in the oven with the sauce. You can put the filling into a disposable piping bag if you like, but honestly, it didn’t take that long to actually fill them with a spoon.

Sprinkle a bit of extra cheese on top of the shells before baking.

The recipe for this serves 4-6. if you are just cooking for two, make the full recipe but divide it into 2 smaller casserole dishes. Bake one for dinner that night and freeze the second for another time. You can bake it frozen without thawing. Freezer meal make me happy.