Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Garlic Cream Sauce

A rustic, simple recipe for stuffed pasta shells with Italian sausage, spinach and mozzarella topped with an easy garlic cream sauce.

JUMP TO RECIPE

I love sausage. Like, to the point that most people love bacon. I really only cook bacon to get the drippings for cooking with. I would rather have sausage any day of the week.

And I really love Italian sausage. I often use Italian sausage instead of ground beef when making weeknight spaghetti.

QUICK TIP: easily make mini meatballs using Italian Sausage links by removing the casings then pinching off one-inch pieces of sausage then rolling them into little meatballs.

I make a more traditional recipe for Classic Stuffed Shells using tomato sauce (that is GREAT for serving guests and even freezing) but I wanted to change things up.

So I had the idea to make these stuffed shells using mostly just Italian sausage and spinach. And while I'd usually serve stuffed shells with marinara or some other red sauce I decided to go with an alfredo-type sauce with this recipe because sausage and spinach just go with cream sauce!

This Garlic Cream Sauce is super simple to make (it's a verrrrry close cousin to alfredo) but you could totally skip it and just use a prepared jar or tub of alfredo sauce from the grocery store.

Trust me, I know all about going the quick and easy route when you're trying to get supper on the table quickly! But this sauce is super simple and easy and packs an amazing punch of fresh, homemade flavor. 

And, it’s really really easy.

Now, all that being said, you could totally skip the creamy sauce and just use marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce too. Just use whichever you prefer!

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUSAGE AND SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

• Jumbo pasta shells
• Italian sausage
• Frozen chopped spinach
• Mozzarella cheese
• Heavy cream
• Fresh garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt and nutmeg

Recipe for Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells with Garlic Cream Sauce

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells with Garlic Cream Sauce

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

A rustic, simple recipe for pasta shells stuffed with Italian sausage, spinach and mozzarella topped with an easy garlic cream sauce.

Ingredients

Stuffed Shells:

• 10 ounces jumbo shells (approximately 20-25 shells)
• 1.25 pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed if applicable
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded (2-3 cups)

Garlic Cream Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed (not minced)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Stuffed Shells

1. Prepare Garlic Cream Sauce first so that it can be doing its thing while you’re cooking everything else.
2. Cook shells in liberally salted water per manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation. Drain and rinse then allow to drain again.
3. Meanwhile, crumble sausage in a large skillet and cook until nicely browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add drained spinach to sausage then stir well.
5. Add half of mozzarella then stir to combine.
6. Spray a 13x9 (or 14x10) baking dish with cooking spray. Stuff shells with sausage mixture then arrange in baking dish. If you have any sausage mixture left over, just spoon it in between the shells. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over shells.
7. Remove garlic pieces from garlic cream sauce then spoon sauce into and over stuffed shells. Cover dish with aluminum foil then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
8. Garnish with additional fresh grated parmesan if desired.

Garlic Cream Sauce

1. Add cream and smashed garlic to a saucepan then cook over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally (to smash your garlic, just lay your chef’s knife over each clove and give it a good whack or two).
2. Once sauce begins to simmer, add salt and nutmeg then reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally.
3. Whisk in parmesan cheese then continue cooking over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat until ready to use.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/01/sausage-and-spinach-stuffed-shells-with.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2014

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