Lent Week Six Meatless Meal

This was one of the first recipes I tried when Jeff and I were newly married. In fact, I remember having our beloved priest friend Father Stanley Deptula over for dinner and serving him this dish. Afterwards he blessed our very first apartment!

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
32 jumbo pasta shells (about 2 and 1/2 boxes of the 12 oz shells)
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
3 and 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook shells to al dente, drain well. Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce on bottom of baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with spinach mixture. Arrange shells in dish, filling side up. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over shells. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.