In the Middle of August!?

Sometimes men make the strangest requests. Like baked stuffed shells in the middle of August. Whatever. We have had the air conditioning on full blast, so I figured I might as well. This concoction is basically my mother's most requested lasagna that I adapted into a recipe for spinach stuffed shells. This is definitely a very homey, comfort casserole. It makes a TON, and is great for a casual crowd (esp. a crowd of omnivores, pescetarians, and vegetarians...they'll never miss the meat!). It also freezes beautifully. To freeze, place cooled shells in foil three at a time. When it's time for a no hassle meal, simply pop a packet into a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, make a quick tossed salad and presto! - dinner. Better than Lean Cuisine as far as I'm concerned.
this is dedicated to my vibrantly beautiful and fabulous mother

RECIPE:

Spinach Stuffed Shells

• 24 pieces jumbo shell pasta
• 32 oz container of part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 oz package of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 16 oz bad of thawed frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus 1/8
  
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
  
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1tbsp oregano
• salt and pepper
• handful of toasted pine nuts
  
• one large jars of a favorite marinara or a batch of my favorite 'home-made'
  
• (recipe below)

• preheat oven to 350 degrees
  
• bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil shells for about 8 minutes, they should be slightly underdone as they will continue to cook in the oven
  
• meanwhile, squeeze the spinach handful by handful over the sink to remove water
• mix together the cheeses reserving about 1/2 c of the mozzarella and the 1/8 c parmesan and then add the eggs, spinach, garlic powder, salt, pepper and mix until well combined
• drain the shells and rinse with cold water until they're cool enough to comfortably handle
• fill the bottom of and 9 by 13 inch baking dish with about 1 1/2 inches of the tomato sauce
  
• fill each shell with filling until heaping and place shells into the baking dish with 6 shells across and 4 shells down

• gently and evenly pour the remaining sauce over the shells
  
• evenly sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top

• cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake another 10 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly - oh and it should weigh about 50 pounds, so be careful
  
• remove from oven and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts and some fresh, minced parsley on top
  
• let sit about 10 minutes and serve with a big, crunchy tossed salad and crusty bread (inviting friends over is a good idea too)
  

Recipe:
My Favorite Tomato Marinara Sauce

• 2 32 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 5 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1 tbsp of dried, crushed thyme leaves
• 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
  
• fresh ground black pepper

• heat the oil over medium low heat and add the garlic, cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant
  
• add the rest of the ingredients, cover, raise heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 10 more minutes

This sauce is great for pasta dishes and also as a dipping sauce for batter fried calamari or mozzarella sicks (recipes to come!)