After a busy week at school, and a day that I would've loved to wash down the drain where school is concerned, I was excited to spend a night in my favorite place...my kitchen. With a glass of wine in hand, I baked some cookies to share at school, made of pot of chili for a cook-off (I'll share later!), and decided pasta was the comfort food I needed. I tried a recipe for stuffed shells a few years ago, as they were a food my mom never made. However, from that recipe, I decided I really just prefer to take the same idea, and apply all my pasta favorites to the method.
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This is a recipe I tried a few years ago with some tweaking & pulling from my favorite sauce and lasagna recipes, and I couldn't believe I hadn't shared it with you yet! I, admittedly, eat less pasta than I did at one time, but this is such a great comfort food, and I hope you enjoy it, too.
Stuffed Shells
8 oz. jumbo pasta shells
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 C. cheese blend (I have one that's mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan, and it's my fave)
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 C. red wine
15 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 T. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1 T. allspice
To make sauce, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add wine once browned, and allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, and simmer 30 minutes.
Boil shells; drain and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients to stuff shells. To assemble, make a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff shells with cheese mixture, and lay seam-down in sauce. Once assembled, pour over remaining sauce. Bake 20 minutes at 375. Top with parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy!
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 C. cheese blend (I have one that's mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan, and it's my fave)
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 C. red wine
15 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 T. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1 T. allspice
To make sauce, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add wine once browned, and allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, and simmer 30 minutes.
Boil shells; drain and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients to stuff shells. To assemble, make a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff shells with cheese mixture, and lay seam-down in sauce. Once assembled, pour over remaining sauce. Bake 20 minutes at 375. Top with parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. Enjoy!
