Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Stuffed Shells

We had friends for dinner one night last week - she's a vegetarian, he's not.  What to make?  Easy.  Stuffed shells - some filled with cheese, some filled with meat.  Add some salad and applesauce.  Everybody's happy.  (Especially me, when they showed up carrying a big Orange Blossom Cake for dessert and a beribboned hostess loaf of Challah Bread.)

Cheese-Filled Jumbo Shells (makes about 20 shells)

1/2 pkg. of 12 oz. box of Jumbo Shells
1 lb. of ricotta cheese
1 C. mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 - 26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

Heat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Combine cheeses, egg, and spices.  In a 13x9" pan, spread about 1/2 C. of the spaghetti sauce.  Fill each cooked shell with cheese mixture and place in pan.  (I used a medium-sized cookie scoop to fill which worked perfectly.) After filling all shells, cover with remaining sauce.  Cover with foil; bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Meat-Filled Jumbo Shells (makes about 20 shells)

1/2 pkg. of 12 oz. box of Jumbo Shells
1 1/2 lb. of ground beef
Medium-sized onion, chopped
1/3 C. Parmesan cheese
1/3 C. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 C. mozzarella cheese
1 - 26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

Heat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Cook ground beef and chopped onion until lightly browned; remove from heat and drain.  Add Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and spices.  Cool mixture for 10 minutes.  Mix in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.  In a 13x9" pan, spread about 1/2 C. of the spaghetti sauce.  Fill each cooked shell with meat mixture and place in pan.  (I used a medium-sized cookie scoop to fill which worked perfectly.) After filling all shells, cover with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil; bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

They look good! Have you ever stuffed them with a potato and cheese mixture? They taste like pieroges when you smother them with butter and onions.

Not sure how close you are to Black Moshannon State Park, but Mother's Day weekend, they have a program called Women in the Wild. My daughter and I do it each year, we have a blast. Check it out, it maybe something you and your mother would enjoy.

Sandy

Julie said...

Thanks for the tips, Sandy!