Make Ahead Unstuffed Shells Food

MAKE-AHEAD UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Mix cream cheese spread, basil, Parmesan, milk and Italian seasoning in large bowl until blended; stir in pasta. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

MAKE-AHEAD UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min., stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Whisk cream cheese spread, milk and Parmesan in large bowl until well blended. Add pasta and basil; stir gently until pasta is evenly coated. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

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 SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and then add in the pasta shells. I usually cook a few extra in case some fall apart. Cook for half of the time indicated on the package plus one minute. (About 5-6 minutes depending on the package you use). Drain the shells and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to be easily separated. Drain off any water and separate onto a sheet of parchment paper on the counter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix until completely combined. Add in the basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, and salt + pepper to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Stir gently.
• Finely grate the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add two cups of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese into the cheese mixture. Gently stir to completely combine.
• Transfer this cheese mixture to a large (gallon-sized) zipper-top plastic bag. Snip off 1-inch of the corner of the bag and "pipe" the cheese mixture into each of the shells. Each shell should get about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture (which should fill 25-26 shells).
• Spread half of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish.
• Place stuffed shells in the baking dish with the open side facing up. Pack the shells in close together.
• Cover shells evenly with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups marinara sauce. Aim to completely cover all of the shells to avoid hard parts of the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the shells. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with freshly chopped basil if desired. I also like to add a little more cracked pepper to the top!

DO-AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• If serving immediately, heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make Tomato Sauce: Soak mushrooms in the warm warm until softened, 30 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and the reserved soaking liquid, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat 10 minutes. Chop parsley with basil; add to sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Mix remaining ingredients except Parmesan in medium bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan until blended.
• Using soup spoon, stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture.
• Place half the tomato sauce in casserole large enough to hold shells in single layer, or divide sauce among 2 or 3 smaller casseorles. Place shells over tomato sauce, then spoon remaining sauce over shells.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over shells. Cover and bake until heated through, 12-15 minutes. Serve with additional Parmesan.
• Or, let unbaked sauced shells cool to room temperature, cover tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. To serve, thaw covered in refrigerator, then bake as directed and serve with addtiional grated Parmesan cheese.

MAKE AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS (OAMC)

Steps:

• Brown turkey over medium high heat and crumble into small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. Set aside to cool.
• Combine Tomato sauces, tomato paste and 1 tbsp basil. Salt and Pepper to taste. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine Ricotta, cottage cheese and two eggs. Add in the last of the basil.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with tomato sauce. Stuff the uncooked pasta shells with cheese/meat filling and rest shells in tomato sauce. Repeat until you have run out of shells and filling (this may take more than one box of shells and will require 2 9x13 pans).
• Top pasta shells with shredded cheese. Cover and freeze for 2 months, or, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. You can bake this from frozen for about 50 minutes (altitude and oven types will vary).