Who doesn't love Italian Food? Especially stuffed shells. They are so easy to make and so full of flavor. You can make your own homemade meat sauce with this recipe or use a store bought sauce. I thought I would never use a store bought sau...ce until I started using Ragu Chunky Tomato Garlic and Onion about 2 years ago. I have never gone back to making homemade since. I love the texture...with chunks of sweet Roma tomatoes and sweet onions and lots of garlic. Good enough for me!
Jumbo Stuffed Shells in Meat Sauce
1 box large Pasta shells
1 lb. ground round
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 (26 ounce) Ragu Chunky Tomato Garlic and Onion Sauce (or make your own)
15 oz. whole milk Ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained by squeezing on paper towels
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Boil Pasta Shells as per directions on box and cook to al dente. Drain and let it cool until easy to handle.
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add beef and saute until brown. Add salt and pepper and oregano. Pour in Ragu sauce then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through.
In a big bowl, mix the Ricotta cheese with the egg, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and pepper. Squeeze out all moisture from thawed spinach by wrapping in a paper towel or clean dish towel. Add to ricotta mixture and stir until blended. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta combination and lay flat with open side facing up.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour about 2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add stuffed shells on top of sauce, still with open side facing upwards. set Spoon the rest of the meat sauce on top.
Completely cover top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes.
Recipe and Photo ©Welcome Home
Photography Ramela Jimenez