Stuffed Shells

This was a perfect, easy, comforting meal I made yesterday to use up stuff I had hanging around in my fridge.  It made for a huge dinner last night, plus plenty extra to freeze for on-the-go meals whenever I need them.  I followed the directions on the back of the box, with a few little adjustments:

1 box stuffed shells, cooked
1 large contained part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (important so your filling isn't too wet)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I cheated and used a bottle from my food storage that was about to expire)


Preheat oven to 375.  Boil shells by following directions on the package--you want them to be almost fully cooked, but still a little underdone.  In a 9 x 13 glass pan, spread 1/2-3/4 cup spaghetti sauce, or until well coated.  In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, spinach, eggs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  When shells are done boiling, drain and spread out on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper so they don't stick together.  Fill each shell with approximately 2 tsp. filling, and place in glass pan.  Since I had more than 2 pans' worth of shells, I spread whatever shells I wasn't baking immediately on a cookie sheet and froze them solid, then place them in labeled freezer bags. 

Spread remaining spaghetti sauce over filled shells, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, then uncover and broil until cheese is bubbly and browned. 

Serving suggestion: green salad and garlic bread