Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I made this recipe a while ago, but it has a lot to do with what I've been doing recently! For this new year, I'm really working on planning dinners for the week for my family. Both of my parents arrive home pretty late from work (6 o'clock if I'm lucky), and they don't have time to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. So, being the self-proclaimed foodie that I am, I feel it is my duty to help out.


One of my favorite reliable blogs, Cassie Craves, has been helping me through this resolution. And though this recipe wasn't from there since I made it way before this resolution, all the dinner recipes you'll see coming are. So be sure to check back!


Now, onto this dinner. There isn't too much to this recipe, which is great. I loved it! My big mistake, as always, is that I forget to thaw my spinach, so that did add some time onto it=/ I also have a hard time judging how much filling to put in each shell so that they are all even and I don't have left overs or not enough to finish. But I have to realize, things don't have to be perfect. It'll taste fine anyways. And it did. Unfortunately, certain members of my family don't like red sauce, so only half of us enjoyed this meal. (I'll let you guess who)


Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 cups Basic Marinara, divided
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
24 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread 1/2 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling into each pasta shell. Arrange stuffed shells in prepared dish; spread with remaining 1 1/2 cups Basic Marinara. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.