Stuffed Shells

I love making this and my husband loves them too.  It's perfect because it will feed us for 2 nights and then I have some leftover to freeze.  Here's how I make mine:

1 box of pasta shells  (I only use 20 for this recipe)
1 20oz pkg 99% ground turkey
1 15oz container of ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
1 12oz of shredded mozzarella ( I use reduced fat)
1/2 c grated Parmesan plus more to sprinkle on top
1 26oz jar of pasta sauce
garlic powder
Italian seasoning (McCormick Perfect Pinch)
salt
pepper

Cook the large pasta shells per the instructions on the package.  In a non stick pan, crumble and brown ground turkey.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste.  Set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and a little more salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Mix the cooked ground turkey into the cheese mixture.  Fill the shells with the mixture.  Pour 1/2 of the jar of pasta sauce into a baking pan or Pyrex (my pan is a Lecreuset and is an odd shape 8 1/2 x12).  Arrange the shells in the pan so they are in rows touching.  Pour the remainder of the pasta sauce over the shells.  Top with the rest of the shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with a little more Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serve with garlic bread or a salad.  Enjoy!

In the pan before the sauce goes on:

After shells are topped with sauce and cheese:



After baking in the oven:

No pictures yet because I will be baking them for dinner tonight.  I will post a picture after they are done!  OOPS!  I forgot to set the timer and the shells were in a little too long.  The cheese on top was just past the golden brown stage.  They still tasted yummy but I'm not going to post a picture.  Just imagine them hot and bubbly and gooey!

Note:  You can freeze them.  If you don't want the ground turkey, then you can omit it or sub it with ground beef.  You can sneek veggies into the mixture, like wilted spinach. 

Lindsay