Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells with Tomato Sauce

As a girl who can appreciate floury carbs and good cheese, Italian food flows seamlessly from my kitchen.   I might hide a few veggies, and soy for clean protein in this dish but no one hasta' know!  Just dig in!

Basic ingredients:

Beef-less ground beef; Trader Joe's is FAB
Chopped fresh basil
Ricotta cheese
Italian herb blend, Penzey's
Minced garlic, Penzey's
Baby Spinach
Jumbo pasta shells
Marinara sauce; again, TJ's rocks my socks
1 can peeled whole tomatoes
Shredded Italian Blend of Cheeses: provolone, asiago, parmesan
Olive oil

1) Begin to heat the olive oil.  When it warms, add beef-less ground beef.  In a separate pot, boil the shells pasta, not quite until tender.  Remember, they'll still go in the oven, so we went them a little harder than normal.

2)  Chop the spinach and add to the sauté.  This mixture is going to join our friend Ricotta in a few minutes.  When cooked thoroughly, remove from heat.

3)  Bring the tomatoes and marinara sauce to a light boil.  Add garlic and herbs while it simmers.

4)  Let's begin preparing the cheese mixture.  This is the important part because it's how we'll dress the pasta shells and will become the bulk of our meal.  Blend 5-6 oz of Ricotta in a bowl, with fresh chopped basil and stir.

5) Also stir in the soy crumble and cooked spinach. Add a few ladles of marinara sauce from the other pot, to this mix.  The liquid helps soften it up and blend better
P.S. Clayton wanted to make his blog debut here, sneaky furry guy.

6)  Next, spray the 9x11 glass pan with olive oil to coat, then begin laying out the cooked empty pasta.  Fill each shell with 1-2 Tbps of the ricotta/soy/spinach/sauce mixture.  Line them up so they're not touching in the pan as much as possible.  (Obviously, mine have all become friends!)

7)  Finally, pour over remaining sauce and sprinkle with grated cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!