Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Turkey Sausage Meat Sauce

Here’s my deal with Turkey Tuesday. I want to show you some unexpected ways to switch to turkey in recipes that are not only delicious but also relatively easy to make and (generally) family friendly. Take The Pioneer Woman’s Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce. I switched out the pork Italian sausage for turkey Italian sausage and voila! You’ve got yourself a winning Turkey Tuesday recipe!

Truth be told, tonight I actually completely switched up this recipe using the homemade tomato sauce I made using this recipe, which happens to be amazing and a game-changer for me in terms of using extra home-grown tomatoes. (I eliminated the additional garlic and basil in the original recipe for the stuffed shells because the sauce already had plenty of both.)

If you don’t have homemade tomato sauce, then by all means follow the recipe below as I have made it before – it’s equally delicious. (Bonus tip: I put this together the night before and kept it in the fridge until supper the next day. Or, you could easily freeze this for much later use, as well.)

And whatever you do, please don’t forget the Italian turkey sausage (sweet or hot, depending on your preference). It’s the most important part!

Lara

Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Turkey Sausage Meat Sauce

• 8 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 30 ounces (2 containers) Ricotta Cheese (I used part skim)
• 8 ounces Parmesan Cheese, Grated, Divided
• 1/2 cup Grated Asiago Cheese (or Romano would be another good option)
• 1 whole Egg
• 12 leaves Basil
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 pound Italian Turkey Sausage (remove meat from casings)
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 1 whole (28 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 whole (15 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time (do not overcook). Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for 1-2 minute.

Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; you can add crushed red peppers if you want this more spicy.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined.

To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

I am part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle of bloggers, but I do not get paid for my posts. I do receive some complimentary turkey products to try upon occasion. Opinions and topics are entirely my own.