Recipe: Stuffed Shells

This is a family favorite. It has meat and sauce variations.

• 1 package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb Italian sausage, ground beef or ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 oz) jar alfredo sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water.
3. Cook sausage until brown. Crumble. Drain.
4. In a large bowl, sausage, mix eggs, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with cheese mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Pour alfredo sauce over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

Note: You can use ground beef or ground chicken in place of the sausage. Another substitution would be pasta sauce versus alfredo sauce.