Spinach, Mushroom, and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Shells

I found some recipes in the Food Network magazine this week for light stuffed shells and rich stuffed shells and I thought I would do something in between. The flavors in this recipe sort of remind me of lasagna and pizza (just what I like)! Hope you enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of lean turkey sausage (I used Jennio brand)
• 2 Tablespoons of light olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 10 oz. of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
• 8 oz. of white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of fat free cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup of reduced-fat grated parmesan
• 1.5 cups of reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese (divide in half)
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• Black pepper
• Sprinkle of paprika
• 1 jar (24 oz) of vodka sauce (I used Preggo)
• Sprinkle of dried oregano
• 1 box of jumbo pasta shells

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown turkey sausage over medium-high heat. Once it is finished cooking, drain any excess liquid and place in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a large pot, boil water for pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the shells and cook for about 7 minutes. Drain and place the shells back into the pot. Add a little bit of olive oil to the pot so the shells don't stick together. Set the pot aside.

3. Gently wipe out the skillet that you cooked the sausage in with a dish towel or paper towels and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and diced onion. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are lightly browned (about 3-5 minutes). Next, turn the heat down to medium and add the minced garlic (stir consistently so the garlic doesn't burn) and cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Add the sliced mushrooms and chopped spinach (make sure you thawed and squeezed out all of the liquid) to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned.  Add the turkey sausage back into the pan and remove the skillet from the heat. Season with black pepper and paprika.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, and 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Mix together until well incorporated. Next, stir in the sausage and veggie mixture to the cheese mixture. Season with dried basil and crushed red pepper.

6. Pour 1/2 of the vodka sauce into a large baking dish and spread evenly throughout the dish. Next, generously stuff each shell with a spoon full of the turkey/veggie/cheese mixture and place into the baking dish seam side down. Once you have stuffed all of your shells pour the remaining sauce over the top. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and dried oregano.

 

 

7. Bake for 20 minutes (covered with foil). Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes (cheese on top should be melted and dish should be bubbly). Enjoy!