Succulent Sausage Stuffed Shells in a Béchamel Sauce

These are seriously TO DIE FOR!!

Tis' the season for the ultimate comfort foods!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage*

• 2 tbs. olive oil

• 1 medium onion chopped

• 4 oz. mushrooms chopped

• 2 egg yolks lightly beaten

• 6 Tbs. butter

• 6 Tbs. flour

• 3 cups whole milk*

• 1 lb of jumbo shells

• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (split)

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded

• 1 tsp oregano

Directions:

Make the filling:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, onion, and mushroom. Cook for around 8-10 minutes allowing the onion to soften and become translucent, and the mushrooms begin releasing liquid.

2. Add sausage to pan (if in links, remove from casing.) Crumble the meat and cook in mushrooms and onion until it is cooked fully through and no longer pink.

3. Set aside.

Make the Béchamel Sauce:

(if France and Italy had a baby...)

1. Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat.

2. Whisk in flour until fully incorporated.

3. Slowly add milk into pan and continue whisking until sauce comes to a slow boil and thickens substantially.

4. Stir half of this mixture into the pan with the sausage along with 1 and 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese and the whisked egg yolks.

5. Mix to combine and cover and set aside.

Pasta Time:

1. Cook pasta shells according to package.

2. Strain and rinse under cold water

3. Add pasta and some olive oil back into pot (stirring lightly so oil coats the shells to prevent them from sticking together.)

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Spread 3/4 cup of the reserved sauce into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan.

6. Fill pasta shells with sausage and cheese mixture and line into pan into the sauce and cover with remaining béchamel sauce.

7. Top with remaining 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, along with Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle the 1 Tsp. of oregano over the top.

8. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cheese is a nice golden brown.

9. Let set for 5-7 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Recipe Tips/substitutions !

* For the sausage: you do not need to use sweet sausage... that is my personal preference, and recommendation for this recipe, but I have used mild!

* For the milk: My personal preference is using whole milk for this recipe, 2% would also work BUT I would not recommend using skim.