Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef
Description
Indulge in these jumbo pasta shells, stuffed with a luscious ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan filling, layered with rich beef marinara sauce, and baked to golden perfection. A perfect comfort food dish for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz.)
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 lb ground beef chuck
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 large egg
Cheese Filling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook jumbo pasta shells until al dente in salted water. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Heat cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef, drain excess fat, and add diced onion and garlic. Sauté until softened and fragrant.
- Add marinara sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and egg until combined for the cheese filling.
- Spread half of the beef marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese filling and place them into the dish.
- Top the shells with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Cover with tented foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Note
-Boil 2-3 extra shells in case some tear during the stuffing process.
-For a heartier meal, use a full pound of ground beef. You may need extra marinara if you increase the meat. Alternatively, the meat can be omitted for a vegetarian option.
-Serving size is 4 shells per person, but you can stretch it to 8 servings with 3 shells each if served with sides.
-For a twist, try Pesto Stuffed Shells next!
stuffed shells, baked pasta, Italian dish, ground beef
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