Sausage-Stuffed Shells

What's the best way to stuff the shells?

You can use a spoon to scoop the mixture into each pasta shell, but you'll probably have to get another utensil dirty to get the mixture off of the spoon. Instead, you can create a "piping bag" for squeezing the mixture into each shell. Just put the filling in a plastic zip-top bag and cut a hole in a bottom corner. (Make sure the hole is big enough that Italian sausage crumbles don't get stuck!)

What else can you put in stuffed shells with Italian sausage?

For a little more bite to your shells, opt for a spicy Italian sausage. Otherwise, try using ground beef or ground chicken in place of the sausage. You could also swap the minced parsley for basil. Finally, finely shredded spinach makes for an easy way to get more greens into the meal. Take inspiration from recipes like bacon cheese stuffed shells, vegetarian stuffed shells and beef stuffed shells.

Can you make stuffed shells with Italian sausage ahead of time?

If you want to save time later, you can prep the meat sauce and filling ahead of time. Once you're ready to get dinner in the oven, assemble the bake: spread the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan, set up and fill the shells, and drizzle with remaining sauce and cheese. Dinner will be on the table 20 minutes later!

—Lauren Pahmeier, Taste of Home Associate Editor