Shells Stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom, and Ground Pork

Here are some pasta shells that I made a few weeks ago. I froze some of them and just enjoyed them again this week. I used several recipes from the Joy of Cooking to make them. Below is approximately what I did. What I have written below is about half of the original stuffing recipe modified. This made enough stuffing for a whole box of shells which filled one 9x13 baking dish and one 9x9 baking dish. I think I was more generous with the tomato sauce and cheese than the recipe calls for.



Stuffing

Heat in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides:
3 tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring, until wilted:
1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

Squeeze almost dry:
One 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Stir into the vegetable mixture and cook until all the liquid is evaporated and the pan looks dry.

Turn the mixture into a large bowl and stir in:
3/4 pound ground pork, cooked
1 c. fine bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped parsley
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese


Jumbo Shells

Have ready:
3 c. Tomato Sauce
Stuffing Filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender:
8-10 oz. of jumbo shells

Drain. Using a small spoon, fill the pasta with the filling. Arrange the pieces side by side in the baking dish. (At this point, the dish can be covered and refridgerated for up to 24 hours.) Spoon the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with:
1 c. shredded mozzarella
6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin-Gorganzola Sauce

Here is another recipe to try. I will leave up the other quiz, so you can still vote on the black bean soup also.


Ingredients
1 pound uncooked pennette (small penne)
1 tbsp olive oil
5 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about ¾ pound whole mushrooms)
4 cups vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1½ tbsp cornstarch
1½ tbsp cold water
½ cup (2 oz) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
⅛ tsp grated whole nutmeg
Fresh sage sprigs (optional)

View full recipeInstructions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Combine chopped sage and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and cheese to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Add pasta and pumpkin mixture to mushroom mixture; toss well to combine. Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, if desired.