Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells with Spinach

 While I'm on reduced hours due to the pandemic, I started doing #SlowCookerMonday or #SlowCookerFriday to take advantage of the days I'm at home & can put together slow cooker meals that don't require 8+ hours of cook time.  This week for #SlowCookerFriday, I decided to try making stuffed shells using this recipe from the Hamilton Beach test kitchen.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (12 ounces) ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
28 jumbo pasta shells
2 jars (24 ounces each) marinara sauce
Chopped parsley

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir spinach, ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan, garlic and Italian seasoning.

2. 2. Divide and fill each shell with ricotta mixture.
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4. 3. Add 3 cups sauce to the bottom of the crock.
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6. 4. Place 14 stuffed shells in the bottom of the crock. Spoon 2 cups marinara sauce over shells.
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8. 5. Top with remaining stuffed shells and sauce.
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10. 6. Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 until shells are cooked. 
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12. 7. Remove lid and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over shells. Wait 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley.
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What we did differently...it's what we do!

1.  Since there was room in the crock and I still had some shells, I used 30 jumbo shells (15 on each layer).  And there was still some of the spinach ricotta mixture left over!

2.  The blog post had a tip that I found very useful:  before stuffing the shells, run warm water over them for a few seconds.  It makes the shells a little more pliable and easier to stuff without breaking the shells.

3.  I sprinkled extra shredded mozzarella in between the layers because who doesn't like extra cheesiness?!

4.  Luckily Harris Teeter had our favorite sauce, Rao's Arrabiata Sauce, on special.  We love the flavorful choices from Rao's and this spicy marinara sauce gives the perfect amount of zing!

Our thoughts

I used a 6-quart crockpot and cooked the dish for 4 hours on high.  The shells were fully cooked and the sauce flavor soaked into the shells, giving an added depth of flavor.  I probably could have served after 3 1/2 hours of cooking and been fine.  We served with a side salad, garlic breadsticks, and a Tempranillo from the Lodi Valley of California.  Full Italian dinner that was quite tasty! And Ed said the stuffed shells were restaurant-quality (thanks sweetie!).  Will definitely make again!