Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

20 – 22 jumbo pasta shells
1 ½ lb. lean ground chicken
1 cup fresh spinach, minced
1 Tbl. garlic, minced
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbl. mayonnaise
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 ½ cups marinara sauce
½ cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until slightly tender, but not fully cooked. Drain well.

In a small bowl toss the spinach and ground chicken with a fork until completely incorporated. Sauté the garlic and olive oil together for 30 seconds in a preheated medium-sized sauté pan. Do not let the garlic burn. Add the chicken mixture to the pan and sauté for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Set aside to cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss the ricotta, mozzarella, egg, mayonnaise, salt and pepper until well combined. Finally, add the chicken mixture to the cheese filling and stir until completely incorporated. Set aside.

Lightly spray a 9” x 13” baking pan with cooking spray. Evenly spread 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce along the bottom of the pan. Fill each pasta shell with the chicken filling and line the pasta in the baking pan open side up. Top the pasta shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and sprinkle the entire top with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.