Description
Discover how to make delicious stuffed shells with ground beef that will satisfy your cravings. This easy recipe is perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- 27 jumbo pasta shells (about 250 g)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon (4 ml) salt, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef (450 g)
- 28 ounces tomato sauce (800 g)
- 1 (15-oz) container part skim ricotta cheese (425 g)
- 1 (16-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well (450 g)
- 2 cups part skim shredded Italian cheese blend (or shredded mozzarella), divided (200 g)
- ½ cup grated cheese, divided (50 g)
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Set your oven to 350°F to warm up.
- Prepare the pasta shells in a big pot of salted boiling water, cooking them for 2-3 minutes less than the package suggests. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set them aside.
- While the pasta is on the stove, warm a large pan over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and cook the chopped onion with ¼ teaspoon of salt until it’s see-through, which should take 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for about a minute until you can smell it.
- Introduce the ground beef with ¼ teaspoon of salt into the pan. Cook it until it’s browned and fully done, breaking it into small pieces as you go, which should take around 5-7 minutes. If there’s extra oil, feel free to drain it.
- Pour the tomato sauce into the beef, stir well, and then take it off the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, thawed spinach, 1 cup of Italian cheese blend, ¼ cup of grated cheese, and ¼ teaspoon of salt, making sure everything is mixed together well.
- Once the pasta shells are cooked and cooled, stuff each one with approximately 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta-spinach mixture.
- Spread half of the beef and tomato sauce mixture over the bottom of a large baking dish to cover it.
- Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish, then pour the remaining beef and tomato sauce on top, followed by the rest of the Italian cheese blend and the remaining grated cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Optionally, sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Thoroughly squeeze thawed spinach to remove excess moisture before mixing with ricotta to prevent a watery filling.
- Avoid overcooking pasta shells; boil 2-3 minutes less than package suggests to prevent mushiness.
- Customize cheese blend with favorite Italian cheeses or herbs for extra flavor and variety.
