Sausage Stuffed Shells with Fresh Ricotta

Quick & easy weeknight meal.

This recipe can be duplicated by merely viewing the photos... nothing mysterious about it. But very tasty! I had made fresh Ricotta and wanted to try it in a savory dish instead of a dessert.

Ingredients:
1 pound Spicy/Hot Italian sausage, bulk
1 pound Mild Italian Sausage, bulk, recipe
1 box large pasta shells
1 recipe fresh Ricotta, recipe
12 ounces fresh marinara
Garnish with mozzarella and fresh Italian parsley

STEP 1: Start water to boil noodles. Once water has come to a boil, add pasta. I drizzle a bit of olive oil into the water to prevent the shells from sticking to each other. Boil for about 10 minutes, checking often for doneness.

STEP 2: As soon as you put your water on to boil, start cooking the sausage in a skillet. Break all the sausage into large pieces to help it break down, then as it continues to cook, continue breaking it up with a wooden spatula until the pieces are fairly small. Cook until no pink is seen and meat is done. Set aside.

STEP 3: When pasta is done, drain. Place several shells into a 9x13" baking dish. Add a spoonful of the cooked sausage and a generous dollop of fresh ricotta. Continue until shells/sausage are gone.

STEP 4: Preheat oven to 400*. Drizzle marinara over all shells and garnish with shredded mozzarella.

STEP 5: Heat in oven until mozzarella is melted and shells are heated through. After plating, garnish with Italian parsley.