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Stuffed Shells….Mmmm

I was so happy tonight eating these stuffed shells for dinner. This makes a great Sunday dinner or any day of the week if you are ambitious. This looks like alot of work, but it’s not that bad. Totally worth it. My recipe calls for a homemade sauce, but you can always use a store bought pasta sauce to speed this dish up. I just happened to have time today. The kids love this all cut up in a bowl. So yummy. Enjoy!

 

 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ Cup finely chopped white onion

1 lb lean ground beef
Pinch salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
½ Cup finely chopped bell pepper of choice (red, green or orange)
4 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Small can tomato sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dry oregano
Pinch of granulated sugar
8 large fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (or you can chop it)

1 Box large pasta shells

15 oz container of Ricotta Cheese
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Cup reserved cooked ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten

¼ Cup parmesan cheese
1 ½ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Reserve 1 Cup beef for cheese filling. Set aside.

2. Place olive oil in another large skillet or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, bell peppers, and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, sugar and basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and add beef. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

3. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain. I like to lay out a large piece of foil on my counter top, sprayed with cooking spray and lay each shell on the foil. Lightly spray the shells with cooking spray.

4. Place ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, beef, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

5. Place a few spoonfuls of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread to coat bottom. Fill each shell with about 2-3 Tablespoons of filling and line in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with parmesan then mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce bubbly.

6-8 servings

Stuffed Shells

This Stuffed Shells recipe is comfort food at its absolute best! Cheesy pasta shells are stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, juicy ground beef, and more!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 784kcal
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Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small white onion finely chopped
  • ½ cup bell pepper of choice, finely chopped (red, green, or orange)
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • small can tomato sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
  • pinch of granulated sugar
  • 8 large fresh basil leaves stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (or you chop them)

For the Pasta:

  • 1 box large pasta shells
  • 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup reserved cooked ground beef
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Reserve 1 Cup beef for cheese filling. Set aside.
  • Place olive oil in another large skillet or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, bell peppers, and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, sugar and basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and add beef. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.
  • Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain. I like to lay out a large piece of foil on my counter top, sprayed with cooking spray and lay each shell on the foil. Lightly spray the shells with cooking spray.
  • Place ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, beef, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
  • Place a few spoonfuls of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread to coat bottom. Fill each shell with about 2-3 Tablespoons of filling and line in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with parmesan then mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce bubbly.

Notes

Makes 6-8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 784kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 1056mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1436IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 793mg | Iron: 5mg
Keywords: ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed pasta shells, stuffed shells with meat