Sunday, January 9, 2011

Stuffed Shells


I used to make stuffed shells all the time and I realized the other day that I had not made them in ages. I think because I realized tomatoes causes me major acid reflux.

I decided to make them anyway, and take a Pepsid before dinner, LOL! I started with Emeril's recipes then I went totally off the rail and did my own thing. I like my version much better!

tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
•2 teaspoons salt
•1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
•2 cups finely chopped onion
•2 teaspoons minced garlic
•1 pound ground beef
1 tube of Jimmy Dean Sausage HOT
•1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
•15 ounce tub Ricotta Cheese
•2 large eggs
•1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
•1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
••1 teaspoon dried basil
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 crimini mushrooms chopped
1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the Ricotta Cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and remaining spices, and stir to combine thoroughly.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

12 comments:

Sam Jo said...

My husband would love me if I made these for him!

tamilyn said...

I love stuffed shells, but mine look pretty feeble next to those!

MaryBeth said...

I have not made any stuffed shells in well over 8 years...I really think I should make some for Ed. He would love them for sure...

Debbie said...

Looks delicious Cheryl! One of my sons favorites that he always orders in Italian restaurants...I have not made them in a very long time!!!! Now I need to make them again!

teresa said...

these sound like so much fun to eat adn make. delicious!

Donna-FFW said...

SO nice to see you back. I miss you when youre not around too often. GREAT recipe to come back with. Never tried with cottage cheese, bet it is super.

Marjie said...

They sound wonderful! I've never made stuffed shells; just too much fuss for 11 people!

Pam said...

These stuffed shells are truly droolworthy!

sophia said...

I always thought stuffed shells are fussy....but then, what the heck, I just made 200 dumplings the other day! Haha! The cheese gets me everytime on these things. Mmm...

Spryte said...

YUM!!! Those sound so good!!! And I love your casserole dish =)

Anonymous said...

Off the rails. Funny! I will dream of cheese tonight

Sophie said...

MMMMMMM,..Cheryl! Those stuffed shells & that sauce looks amazing & wonderfully tasty!n real comfort food in this cold winter months!!

Could you change my old blog for my new one on your blogroll, please? It is now http://www.sophiesfoodiefiles.wordpress.com
thanks!

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