Lasagna Stuffed Shells

Awhile ago I had an urge to make stuffed shells. I didn’t want any old stuffed shells. I wanted some that were really good. Plus, I had to find one that included meat inside, as per my sister’s demand.

Off I went searching, and probably a half an hour later I came across a recipe that looked like a winner.

And winner it was. These stuffed shells were the best I have ever tasted. My mom, sister, and I were raving about them for days. In fact, just thinking about them now is making me crave them.

The sauce is probably what took this recipe from great to amazing. I have some big plans for this sauce. It might just become my go to sauce. That’s how good it is.

Lasagna Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 box jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups + 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 tbsp parsley
• pinch of salt

Sauce:

• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• Vegetable oil
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
• 1  (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 3/8 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Brown the ground beef. Drain any remaining fat. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a saucepan, saute onions in a little bit of vegetable oil. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic powder, sugar, and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes*. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta shells according to directions on box.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, egg, parsley, and salt. Add cooled meat and 1 cup of cooled sauce to the cheese mixture and mix.
6. Coat the bottom of your baking dish(es) with the remaining sauce. Fill each shell with the meat & cheese mixture and place into baking dish. When all the shells are filled, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is just starting to turn brown.

* You might want to cover your sauce. I didn’t and had a fun time cleaning up the entire stove area. Oops.

Recipe slightly adapted from Poormet.