This Traditional Stuffed Shells Recipe is creamy, gooey, carb-y consolation meals at it’s greatest! Our household liked recipe options jumbo pasta shells, hearty tomato sauce, and a scrumptious ricotta cheese combination! Plus, gooey mozzarella cheese on high. Certain to turn out to be certainly one of your favourite pasta dishes, it’s scrumptious with garlic bread and salad.
Stuffed Shells Recipe: Consolation Meals in a Casserole Dish
Subsequent time you’re craving consolation meals, make these gloriously tacky stuffed shells!!! Aka heaven in a casserole dish. My household BEGS me for this recipe. And now we have a variety of enjoyable making the stuffed shells collectively as a household.
I often prepare dinner the sauce and make the ricotta cheese combination earlier than they be part of me within the kitchen. Then I let my children stuff the jumbo pasta shells, grate the mozzarella cheese, and roughly chop the contemporary herbs along with his little plastic toddle knife. You may by no means begin instructing them kitchen abilities too younger!
What are Stuffed Shells?
Stuffed shells is basically an excellent tacky baked pasta dish, fairly much like lasagna or baked ziti. Good for these nights you’re craving Italian-style consolation meals! We make it on a regular basis within the chilly winter months and for household gatherings and vacation celebrations.
There are tons of variations on this recipe floating all over the world – and web. I’ve Spicy Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo and Caprese Stuffed Shells recipes right here on the weblog. And a variety of recipe will incorporate elements corresponding to floor beef, Italian sausage, and even frozen spinach into the sauce!
Make the Marinara Sauce: Add Italian Sausage or Floor Beef
However for this recipe, we’re preserving issues basic with a easy marinara sauce. However don’t let the phrase ‘basic’ idiot you into considering meaning plain or boring! As a result of it most actually doesn’t. This extremely scrumptious do-it-yourself marinara sauce is made with onion, olive oil, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and contemporary basil.
Wish to bulk it up with some protein? Be happy so as to add Italian sausage or floor beef to the sauce. You’ll need to absolutely prepare dinner it, breaking it up as you do, till the meat is not pink. Then add it to the sauce recipe.
Let’s Speak Ricotta Cheese Combination
- Like most stuffed shells recipes, this one options ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
- Two eggs add construction to the cheese combination. Don’t depart these out or the ricotta cheese combination might be runny!
- Recent basil and parsley – plus salt and pepper – add loads of contemporary taste. I don’t counsel utilizing dried herbs instead of the contemporary ones.
Can I Sub Cottage Cheese for Ricotta Cheese?
- Sure, you possibly can technically sub cottage cheese for ricotta cheese on this recipe. Beneath are some recommendations on why you may not need to do it although. And a few recommendation for you in case you select to attempt it out.
- However cottage cheese is chunkier and extra acidic, so your cottage cheese combination can even be barely chunkier. For those who don’t thoughts that, it’s an excellent sub.
- Cottage cheese received’t have the identical richness as ricotta cheese, so you might add an additional egg yolk to the combination if desired.
- Personally, I don’t advocate subbing cottage cheese for ricotta cheese as a result of ricotta cheese tastes higher. And has a greater texture for this recipe.
Don’t Overcook the Jumbo Pasta Shells!
- Don’t, I repeat, DO NOT over prepare dinner your jumbo pasta shells. The truth is, I would like you to undercook them which is able to guarantee they received’t get gluey or too tender within the baking dish.
- Boil them in a big pot of salt water for precisely 5 minutes, then drain them properly and gently pat them dry. The shells will nonetheless be comparatively exhausting, however tender sufficient so that you can stuff them.
- That is good, as a result of they are going to proceed to prepare dinner within the oven. And so they’ll emerge completely cooked as soon as they’ve completed baking! Belief me right here… nobody need a soggy stuffed shell!
- I don’t advocate making this recipe with another noodle than jumbo pasta shells.
Stuffed Shells Recipe: The way to Make
- Oven Prep: Preheat the oven half-hour earlier than you propose on baking. The oven should be on the proper temperature earlier than you place the baking dish within the oven. In any other case the cheese received’t soften correctly.
- Stuff the Jumbo Pasta Shells: Pour some marinara sauce on the underside of your casserole dish. Then stuff every jumbo pasta shell with a number of the ricotta cheese filling.
- End Meeting: Nestle the jumbo pasta shells within the sauce as shut collectively as potential. Then pour on the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the Stuffed Shells: Pop the baking dish within the oven for about 35 minutes. Or till the mozzarella cheese is melted, effervescent, and golden brown! You may want so as to add a couple of minutes to the bake time for those who’re baking it in a thick ceramic casserole dish. Or for those who’re baking it after it’s been chilled within the fridge.
- Ending Touches: Sprinkle the shells with contemporary chopped parsley and a little bit parmesan cheese. That is completely non-obligatory however so scrumptious.
- Serve Heat: Stuffed shells are greatest served scorching – or heat – so serve them as quickly as they arrive out of the oven. This can make sure the mozzarella cheese remains to be gooey and the jumbo shells are tender and scrumptious.
Make it Forward: Refrigerate within the Baking Dish Till Able to Bake!
- You may absolutely assemble this stuffed shells recipe as much as 24 hours prematurely. Merely prepare dinner as directed, cool fully, then cowl with aluminum foil and place it within the fridge till you’re able to bake.
- Whenever you’re able to bake, take away the foil and bake as directed. You may beed so as to add a couple of minutes to the bake time.
- You may as well freeze this stuffed shells recipe. Prepare dinner, cool, and canopy with aluminum foil. Then freeze for as much as 2 months. I counsel making this in an aluminum baking dish for those who plan on freezing it.
- To thaw, take away the baking dish from the freeze and thaw it within the fridge in a single day. Then take away the casserole dish 1 hour earlier than you propose on baking and let it sit at room temperature. Bake as directed, including as many minutes to the bake time as wanted. Normally 10 to fifteen.
- For those who plan on making this recipe prematurely and preserving it within the fridge or freezer, I counsel undercooking the jumbo pasta shells. I counsel boiling them for precisely 3 minutes. This simply ensures your noodles received’t get too tender as they sit within the sauce.
Extra Consolation Meals Pasta Recipes:
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Traditional Stuffed Shells
Components
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 giant giant onion finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed pink pepper flakes tiny pinch
- 1/3 cup pink wine non-obligatory
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes with basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt extra to style
- 1/4 teaspoon floor black pepper extra to style
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup contemporary basil chopped
For the Cheese Filling:
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 giant eggs frivolously crushed
- 2 Tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons basil finely chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
For the Shells:
- 1 12 ounce field jumbo shells pasta
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
- 4 ounces fontina cheese (mozzarella can be utilized as a substitute) cubed
- 2 Tablespoons contemporary parsley finely chopped, garnish
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese for serving
Directions
For the Sauce:
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Heat the oil a big saucepan over medium warmth. Add within the onion and prepare dinner till softened, about 6 to eight minutes.
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Add within the garlic and crushed chili flakes and prepare dinner for an additional minute, or till aromatic.
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Stir within the wine, if utilizing, and prepare dinner for two minutes. Then add within the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, stir properly to mix.
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Deliver sauce to a boil, then cut back to medium-low and simmer, stirring sometimes, for 45 minutes.
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Stir within the sugar and basil and prepare dinner for an additional quarter-hour. Style and add salt and pepper as wanted.
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Take away from warmth enable to barely cool earlier than utilizing it within the baked ziti. Sauce could be made as much as 3 days prematurely and saved within the fridge till wanted.
For the Cheese Filling:
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In a big bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, parsley, basil, egg, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir collectively till simply clean. Put aside till wanted.
For the Shells:
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Deliver a big pot of water to boil. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then stir within the pasta shells. Set a timer and prepare dinner for precisely 4 minutes. Drain and rapidly run underneath chilly water to cease the cooking course of. Pat the shells dry and put aside.
Meeting and Baking:
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Preheat the oven to 375 levels (F).
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Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce onto the underside of a 9X13-inch casserole dish. Put aside.
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Stuff every shell with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese filling, then place it within the baking dish. Nestle the shells as shut collectively as potential. Repeat with all shells till you run out of cheese filling.
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Prime shells with remaining pasta sauce, then sprinkle with each cheeses.
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Bake the shells for 35 minutes, or till the cheese is golden and effervescent.
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Let relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving. Then sprinkle with parsley and parmesan and serve!
