crab and spinach stuffed shells

this meal cost under $30 at an overpriced supermarket, and i ended up using only one of the bags of spinach, and half the container of ricotta! to substitute, maybe get yourself some real crab meat? i'm on a budget, so i stuck to imitation, which really isn't all that bad. in fact, seeing as it is technically fish - i thought about making the same recipe with smoked salmon and chives!

the ingredients: i went with baby spinach, jumbo shells, romano parmesan tomato sauce, a package of imitation crab meat, and a container of ricotta. for spices i used salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and a touch of paprika.

if you wash your spinach, press it dry with a clean dish towel to make it easier to chop. how big you want the pieces are up to you, but remember spinach shrinks to about half the size when cooked.

 next i cut the crab meat in small bite sized pieces (maybe about as big as a peanut m&m).

next you'll want to mince up some garlic (i went with four small cloves) and simmer them in a little olive oil on a low burner.

when they start to brown, add in the crab meat with a dash of black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and salt. when the crab meat begins to soften and fall apart, stir the spinach in gradually.

after a little while you should get something that look like this:

 now i hope during this time you had a large pot of boiling water on stand by, because i totally forgot to mention that somewhat crucial part of the recipe. to help the water boil faster, add salt! once the water is boiling, place the shells in the pot and take care while stirring them so they don't split. the salt in the water should also help them not stick, i didn't stir the pot often.

they look like little boats! now, while you have the shells boiling, pour the crab and spinach mixture in a large mixing bowl, and add ricotta (gently) until your desired flavor and constancy. we ended up using only half the container, and the flavor was excellent and subtle enough.

well alright...whats that? the shells aren't done yet? what to do, what to do...

i worried about pouring the shells in a colander, so i took special care of each and used a slotted spoon, and a collection of paper towels. i suppose i should have rinsed them in cold water but what the hell do i know? don't be concerned if not all the shells made it, we lost about 6 shells and still managed to just have enough filling!

we used teaspoons to fill the shells, and gentle care. how much you want them stuffed is up to you, naturally!.after stuffing them, and placing them in a casserole dish (not oiled!) we then poured the tomato sauce over, and sprinkled one dish with parmesan (we ran out!). * in the future i would use more sauce. we used two jars, and it wasn't quite enough - i also don't suggest chunky sauce. some of the shells that were exposed ended up crunchy and not satisfying. more sauce would solve this problem. * we miiiight have also baked them too long...

then, stick em in the oven at about 350-400. they don't need to be in long, everything has been cooked already!

hope you guys enjoyed!