Hello readers!
I am excited to share this delicious and fun to make recipe with you all today. It is an "Italian" recipe (I'm not sure if this is actually an authentic Italian recipe, but anything with pasta and marinara sauce is Italian in my book) that I have now added to my recipe book. My girls approved, so that makes me happy because I love adding something new and different to the dinner menu to keep it from getting boring.
Stuffed shells! It is almost like lasagna but instead of a casserole the ingredients are added to these fun jumbo pasta shells. This is my first time making it, so I modified a couple recipes I found to my liking. It came out delicious so here goes.
First we boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain, then spread out shells on a baking sheet to cool. I only boiled half of the pasta box because I didn't need so much. You can see how much It turned out to be at the end and decide if you'd like to double this recipe or keep it the same.
While the pasta cooked I chopped the onion and garlic. I added the oil to a pan and then added the onion and cooked till translucent on medium high heat, about 5 minutes. Then added to garlic and cooked for an extra minute.
I then tossed in the ground beef. I added the entire 1lb package but only ended up using half of the beef. I added the garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste and cooked the meat thoroughly. Not sure how other people cook ground beef but I usually cover it for a couple minutes till it releases its juices and softens up, I then smash it up using a wooden spatula, till crumbly and fully cooked. It is easier when it has been browned on at least one side. (I'm adding these extra directions for any readers who are completely new to cooking).
Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.
Now, toss in the rest of the ingredients to a mixing bowl. This includes the mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, egg, and seasoned flour. And mix well.
Add in the ground beef. (Note: You can add in marinara sauce to the mixture if you prefer, I decided not too because my girls are not too fond of anything too saucy (they hate spaghetti!)
Now the fun part! I added marinara to the bottom of my baking dish and proceeded to stuff the shells with my cheese/meat mixture and set onto the dish.
Once I added the stuffed shells to my baking dish I added large drops of marinara sauce over the shells to keep it minimal, but the original recipe I adapted from adds all the marinara sauce on top. I kept it light because my girls are not really into anything too saucy.
Cover your baking dish with foil or if you have glass dishes like mine then put the lid on. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
10 minutes before finishing I pulled it out and sprinkled some parmesan and mozzarella cheese, then put it back in for the remainder of the time.
And wallah! I served with a side salad and garlic toast. I didn't have country bread on hand, so I melted butter and spread it onto regular toast, sprinkled garlic powder, and put in the oven for a few minutes. As for the side salad I simply chopped lettuce, added parmesan, and Caesar dressing.
| Prep Time | 20 |
| Cook Time | 40 |
| Servings |
|
- 1/2 Pack Jumbo Pasta Shells
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1/2 Onion Chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove Minced
- 1/2 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Cup Mozarella Cheese Plus additional for sprinkling
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese Plus additional for sprinkling
- 1/4 Cup Ricotta
- 2 Tbsp Seasoned Flour (I added a couple dashes of Italian seasoning)
- 1 Egg
- 1 Jar Marinara Sauce
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley Optional
Ingredients
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|
- 1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Then drain and arrange on a baking sheet to cool.
- 2. While the pasta cooks add oil to a heated pan and toss in onion. Cook on medium-high till translucent about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic cook an additional minute.
- 3. Add the ground beef and season with garlic powder and the salt and pepper to taste. Cook thoroughly, drain, set aside and cool for a few minutes.
- 3. Spread some marinara sauce on the bottom of an ungreased baking dish. In a medium bowl mix mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, egg, flour, and ground beef. Spoon mixture into shells and arrange onto baking dish. Pour remaining sauce onto shells and cover with dish lid or foil.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until bubbly and set. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese over dish and heat till melted. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley if desired. Serve with salad and garlic bread.
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this simple recipe. Let me know how yours came out in the comments below. Please add in any other questions or comments as well.
Thank you for reading!
Melissa
