Three Cheese Stuffed Shells With Meaty Tomato Sauce Food

THREE CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, basil, Italian seasoning, egg, salt and pepper. Spread 3/4 of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Spoon the cheese mixture into the pasta shells and place in the baking dish. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

THE BEST STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• For the marinara sauce: Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, add the basil and dried oregano, partially cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 45 minutes.
• Remove the basil sprig. If the sauce is still too chunky, mash the larger chunks of tomato with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• For the shells and filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the dried pasta shells cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly but not cooked. (The pasta shells should flexible enough to be filled but remain very al dente; they will continue to cook during baking.) Drain, then run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well again.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and egg in a large bowl until well combined and uniform. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a large disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag (or use a spoon for filling directly from the bowl).
• Spread 2 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Snip off the end of the pastry bag and squeeze the filling into the shells one at a time. Arrange the shells open-side up in a tight single layer in the baking dish as you fill them. Top with the remaining marinara sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the shells until the sauce is bubbling throughout and the filling is heated through, about 35 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the pan and continue to bake for 10 more minutes to reduce the sauce. Let cool slightly before serving. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

THREE CHEESE-STUFFED SHELLS WITH MEATY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for a minute or two. Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; can add crushed red peppers if you like a little heat.In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined. To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.Serve with crusty French bread.

THREE CHEESE STUFFED JUMBO PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients, except pasta and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese in large mixing bowl.
• Mix well and fill each cooked pasta shell.
• Place in ungreased 11 by 17 pan.
• Cover w/ marinara sauce and then sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, cover w/foil, and bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes.
• Time does not include time to make marinara, but I cook mine as I make the shells so it really doesn't affect the time.
• Servings are a guess.

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.

SAUSAGE & CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS WITH TOMATO MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Tomato Mushroom Sauce:.
• In a frying pan or Dutch oven, cook bacon strips until crisp.
• Remove cooked bacon, and drain on paper towels.
• Reserve 3 Tablespoons bacon fat and discard the rest.
• Using the same frying pan (or Dutch oven), place 3 Tablespoons bacon drippings, mushrooms and garlic into the pan.
• Cook mixture over low heat until mushrooms are softened (be careful not to burn the garlic).
• Add tomatoes, basil and pepper.
• Cook uncovered over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens.
• Crumble the bacon and stir it into the sauce, season with a bit of salt (to taste).
• While waiting for the pasta water to boil, start the sausage filling.
• When water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook it according to package directions, until it is almost done.
• When pasta is cooked, drain it, rinse it with cold water, and drain it again.
• Stuff the shells with the sausage ricotta mixture.
• Pasta Stuffing: If necessary, remove casings from sausage, and crumble the meat.
• In a frying pan, cook crumbled sausage over medium to medium-high heat until its browned.
• Drain cooked sausage.
• In a bowl, beat egg into ricotta, stir in cooked sausage, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, salt and parsley.
• Stuff the cooked shells with the sausage cheese filling.
• Bake:.
• Place about half the sauce into a shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole dish or a 9-inch square baking dish.
• Arrange stuffed pasta in sauce lined pan.
• Spoon remaining sauce on top of the stuffed pasta.
• (At this point, the pasta may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until the next day*, or baked immediately).
• Cover pan with tin foil, and bake in a preheated 350°F for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through.
• Remove from oven, remove foil and sprinkle remaining 4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese on top of the baked shells.
• *NOTE:If stuffed pasta was refrigerated overnight, remove plastic wrap from the pan and cover the pan with tin foil, bake as stated above, but baking time may be 5-15 minutes longer.