Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I am a BIG fan of Annie's blog over at Annie's Eats. I probably have more than half of her blog bookmarked to try. I really think she is an amazing cooker/baker.
I have made stuffed shells before, and while I liked them, I kind of found that I felt they were too much trouble for what their worth. These, however, were not. These were AMAZING! By far my favorite stuffed shell recipe. If you try anything from Annie's blog... TRY THESE.

SAUSAGE AND SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS
1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″). Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Source: Annie's Eats

Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup)

Let me tell you, I was SO excited for this recipe that I could hardly wait to make it. The first time I ever tried this soup was actually when someone else made it at a company party about a year ago. I loved the soup then and was actually a little disappointed when I tried it for the first time at Olive Garden. The taste was the same but there was next to no meat in the soup and I am definitely a meat person.
I LOVED this recipe and I mean ABSOLUTELY LOVED it. It was so good! We got together with some friends when I made this and it was definitely a hit and everyone agreed that the taste was right, but it was even better than Olive Garden's because it actually had some substance.
This wasn't a difficult dish at all. The only thing that I did different was that I couldn't find Italian sausage in the sausage form so instead I used ground Italian sausage. The taste was awesome and substantial! Apparently kale can be a little hard to find but I lucked out and found it at Walmart of all places. Yum!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 large baking potatoes, sliced in halves then in 1/4 inch slices
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jar bacon bits (or use real bacon)
2 cups kale or Swiss chard, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook sausage, drain on paper towels, and cut into slices. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage and bacon bits. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn heat to low. Add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.