Stuffed Shells Recipe

A friend gave me this terrific recipe for delicious stuffed shells:

32 jumbo pasta shells
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsps dried basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, the place pasta shells in. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.

Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.

Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

Tastes very good with garlic bread!