Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells Food

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Once the water comes to a boil, heavily salt the water and add in the shells. Cook for 9 minutes, or 2 minutes less than the package directions state. Drain the pasta and allow it to cool slightly.
• While the pasta is cooking, prepare the filling by mixing together the ricotta egg, parmesan, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
• Spread a 2-quart baking dish with 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Once the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture, about 1/4 cup filling per shell. Remember to not overstuff the shells, so that the shells can somewhat close around the ricotta filling.
• Top the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and then cover with the mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.

ITALIAN STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water, tomato paste, bouillon and oregano. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, combine egg, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Stuff shells with cheese mixture., Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange shells in a greased 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish. Pour meat sauce over shells. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, adding remaining 1 cup mozzarella after 30-40 minutes and increasing time as necessary for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place drained pasta on baking sheet to cool.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Cook and crumble sausage until it has lost its pink color and begins to brown. Remove from heat; drain off grease.
• Stir half of the shredded cheese and the Italian seasoning into the browned sausage. Spoon mixture into the pasta shells (1 to 2 tablespoons per shell). Arrange stuffed shells in prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of Italian seasoning, if desired.

ITALIAN STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook hot Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.
• To the skillet, add onions, peppers and carrots; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, corn, red wine, brown sugar, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir very well, reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer while stuffing the pasta shells.
• Fill up a large bowl with very hot water from the tap (not boiling water) and add half of the pasta shells to it. Let them sit until softened, about 15 minutes. Add the other half after stuffing the first batch.
• In a medium bowl, combine sausage, spinach, ricotta and asiago; stir until combined. Spoon half the tomato sauce in the prepared baking dish. Stuff pasta shells with Italian mixture and place them on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over stuffed pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and sauce is bubbling.
• Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes before sprinkling on some fresh chopped parsley. Serves 6.

ITALIAN UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and use your hands to crush them into chunky pieces; set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the sausage and brown in large chunks until no pink remains, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add about a third of the tomatoes to the skillet and stir to pick up any remaining browned bits. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, egg, garlic, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Add the cooked pasta and sausage and gently mix.
• Add the pasta and sausage mixture to the skillet. Top with the remaining tomatoes and then the sliced mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with torn basil before serving.

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS FOR MEAT-LOVERS

Steps:

• Brown ground beef and drain. Return to pan.Saute onions and garlic in pan with cooked meat for approximately 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Boil salted water to cook the pasta shells according to package al dente style. Strain and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix ricotta, parmasan, and 2/3 package of shredded mozzarella. Add italian seasoning, garlic pepper, eggs and milk and mix thoroughly. Mix in meat and spinach.
• In a large baking dish, pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan lightly. Fill each shell with large rounded tablespoons of meat and cheese mixture, and place in pan. Be sure to closely place the shells together so they don't get hard while baking.
• *If there are too many shells for one pan, make a secong and store tightly covered in freezer until later use.
• Pour remaining sauce evenly over all of the shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. Take foil off pan, and bake additional 10 minutes.

STUFFED SHELLS III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
• Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

ITALIAN STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain well. Stir in water, tomato paste, bouillon and oregano; simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and egg; mix well. Stuff shells with cheese mixture; arrange in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Pour meat sauce over shells.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.