Shells: Sausage and Arugula Stuffed

In these satisfying Sausage and Arugula Stuffed Shells; italian sausage, garlic and wilted arugula is mixed with creamy ricotta and fresh mozzarella and stuffed into shells. If that wasn’t already striking, the whole this is then topped with a from-scratch chunky tomato sauce and cheese.

I hate saying goodbye to a strong weekend.

They always go by way to fast, yet Monday through Friday only sort of drags. Why is that? Saturday, Pat and I along with 3 other couples (and also our closest friends) went to Michigan Escape Games. We were locked in a room and had to find clues, solve puzzles and get out of the room in under 1 hour. Since we were in the CSI room, where a horriffic murder happened, we also had to solve the crime.

It was the most fun I’ve had in quite a while. We’ve all been friends for EVER, so working together was unfussy with a lot of laughs. We did end up getting out of the room with 4.58 minutes on the clock but we did not solve the crime. Womp-womp.

Call me gumshoe because A regular here those kinds of things, puzzle-solving is in my DNA. Sort of like cheesy stuffed shells.

A regular here cheese stuffed pasta anything. Remember these Lemon-Basil Ricotta stuffed shells in a Champagne Cream Sauce?? So in today’s recipe, I’m switching things up from long-used spinach and using arugula. I spied this pretty bunch of peppery arugula at my local market and decided to give it a whirl. I wilted it in a pan with garlic and mixed it with crumbled hot Italian sausage, ricotta, fresh Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Have mercy.

I also made a unfussy from-scratch chunky tomato sauce too. Not to brag or anything. #totallybragging

To Make These Sausage and Arugula Stuffed Shells Gather:

• canned whole tomatoes with basil
• shallot
• garlic
• dried oregano
• sugar
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper

• jumbo shell pasta
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• olive oil
• hot italian sausage
• the above chunky tomato sauce
• fresh arugula
• garlic
• whole milk ricotta
• fresh mozzarella
• parmesan cheese
• egg
• parsley (for garnish)

Add a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes with basil into a food processor.

Pulse until chunky and set aside.

Fill a large pot with water, season with a tablespoon of sea salt, cover and bring it to a rolling boil. Add in the pasta, decrease the heat to medium-high and cook the shells for 2 minutes less as directed on the packaging.

You won’t use the entire box of pasta, but sometimes shells tear and break. You’ll have extras only in case this happens.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and smear it all over. After the pasta has par-cooked you’ll place the shells onto the greased pan.

Grab around 6 ounces of arugula tops, discarding any tough stems. Prep it by rinsing any sandy dirt off and pat (or spin in a salad spinner) dry.

Give it a rough chop and set off to the side.

Drain the pasta.

Transfer the shells to the greased pan.

Finely mince 5 cloves of garlic and dice a large shallot.

Crumble and cook 3 links of hot Italian sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a medium bowl.

Add the shallot and 2/3 of the garlic (reserving the rest for the arugula) into the sausage grease.

Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until soft and tender, then add in 1/2 teaspoon of oregano. I crush the oregano in the palm of my hand before adding.

Continue cooking for 1 minute.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes.

And add in 1/4 of the browned sausage.

Add in a pinch of sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes before transferring it to a clean 4 cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl.

Wipe the pan out with paper towel, drizzle in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and add in the remaining garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Next add in the arugula.

Season with a pinch of kosher salt.

…and cook until wilted, about 2 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the wilted arugula and garlic too the bowl with the Italian sausage. Allow these to cool down for a few minutes.

Once again I chose a bowl to small to combine the ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan, but I managed to get it done. Alternatively, you could add these to the bowl with the sausage and arugula once they have cooled.

Lightly beat a large egg.

Add it to the bowl with the ricotta, sausage and arugula.

Mix until completely combined.

Pour 2/3 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.

Smear that goodness all around.

Now use a teaspoon to spoon the ricotta-sausage-arugula mixture into the shells.

…and arrange them, side-by-side in the baking pan.

Spoon the remaining sauce over top.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 375° oven for 30 minutes.

Yes and YES! I thought the sauce to cheese filled pasta was reliable, however Pat wanted more sauce because it was Worth the pot. I’m simply not the biggest fan of overdoing things in sauce. I like seeing the shells, the edges get a little crispy during baking- but feel free to double the sauce if you desire your stuffed shells to be fully submerged.

I also was smitten with the sausage and arugula combo. And the melty cubes of mozz.

This will feed a small army but you could most certainly divide the recipe among two pans and freeze one half to bake later.

Worth repeating these.

Enjoy! And if you give this Sausage and Arugula Stuffed Shells recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!