Stuffed Shells

My mother made these for us growing up and I completely forgot how GOOD they really are until I whipped them up last week. We are trying to have at least one MEATLESS night a week and this was surely one that DID NOT DISSAPOINT! They seemed to just MELT IN OUR MOUTHS! Magic!!!

*If you have not noticed by now, I am by no means a great photographer. I finally came to the conclusion that I am in need of a better camera (preferably one that was not bought by my hubby while on his foreign mission, because local repair stores do not carry the parts). Please do not let my bad camera skills fool you. I promise that all recipes I post are DELICIOUS! :)

Ingredients:

18 jumbo pasta shells, uncooked
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 container ricotta cheese (15 oz)
2 cups Italian blend cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk OR 3/4 cup half and half, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove (pressed or minced)
1/2 tsp basil leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
dash of salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce OR 1 Jar spaghetti sauce (26 oz)

Directions:

Thaw, drain, and sqeeze-dry the spinach and place in large mixing bowl. Cook pasta shells accoriding to the package directions and drain well. While the pasta is cooking add the ricotta cheese to the spinach in the bowl. Add only 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese blend and the 1/4 cup milk OR 1/4 cup half and half. Fold in the Paremsan cheese and add the garlic and seasonings. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl, wisk the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/2 cup half and half. Save 1 cup of sauce for later and spread the remaining sauce into a large baking dish. Fill each cooked shell with some of the spinach-cheese mixture and place into baking dish. Top each shell evenly with the reserved sauce and cover. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Take off the cover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake again for 5-10 minutes and remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!