Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Shells

I have been making these and emailing the recipe out to several friends so I figured I should do a post!   I love making this because it gives you two pans of shells.  So you can either give one to a friend or hoard in your freezer for when you dont feel like cooking.  Also this dish is easy and a crowd pleaser.  Hank LOVES the sausage and its a good way to sneak spinach into his diet.  I hope you enjoy as much as we do.  

This will make you two pans.  One for tonight and another to freeze

Ingredients

1. 2 boxes of jumbo stuffed shells

2.  2 pounds Italian sausage 

3. 2 boxes of frozen chopped spinach

4. 1 15 oz container of ricotta 

5. 3 bags shredded mozzarella cheese

6.  2 tablespoons milk

7. 1/2 tablespoon dried basil

8. salt and pepper to taste

9. 3 jars of canned sauce  

Directions 

1.  boil 1 full box and 1/4 the second box of shells until a bit soft.  NOT ALL the way cooked

2. brown the sausage in a pan until cooked through

3.  in a bowl take defrosted spinach (make sure you wring out the water from spinach first)  mix w ricotta, milk, basil and salt and pepper

4.  once the sausage is cool enough mix it into the bowl with the cheese

5.  dump a bit of sauce of bottom of baking pan

6. stuff the shells and lay them on sauce

7. dump the rest of sauce on top and then 1 and 1/2 bag of the mozzarella cheese

8. bake on 350 for 25 mins and then broil the top for last 5