Stuffed shells with hidden or not so hidden veggies

Finished shells

 Just before baking

Stuffed shells make a great vehicle for some hidden veggies.  Some people in our family wont eat spinach and some of us love it so I did both with and without.  But I could not just leave those other ones with no veggies.  Cauliflower to the rescue!  I chopped it up fine and cooked slightly at the end of the sausage cooking and it just disappeared!  Even the pickiest of my eaters didn't notice anything.  Give it a try.  No cauliflower?  Try shredded zucchini or squash. 

I am going to post the base recipe and you can add veggies to hide or find as you like.

Ingredients -

20 jumbo shells - cooked to package directions

1 small container skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound Italian sausage - casing removed

2 clove garlic - chopped fine

1 tbsp butter - softened

Pepper

1 jar marinara pasta sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Cook sausage in 1 Tbsp olive oil until fully browned.  (If you want to cook your veggies do it at the end of the cooking time in with the sausage.  Spinach will take about 2 minutes to wilt down, cauliflower needed about 3 minutes to cook.)  Once fully cooked remove from heat and allow to cool down a bit.

In a large bowl mix together ricotta, Parmesan, butter, garlic, and pepper.  Mix well and then fold in the cooled sausage and veggie mixture.  Mix well.  Stuff cooked shells evenly with mixture.

In a large baking dish pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.  Arrange shells around the pan.  Top each shell with another table spoon of sauce then sprinkle the mozzarella over the top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Pair with a green salad and garlic bread for a filling dinner.

Enjoy!