Beef Stuffed Shells
Beef stuffed inside large pasta shells topped with gooey cheese then baked to perfection. Make-ahead and it's freezer friendly, meat stuffed shells without ricotta.
Ingredients
| 1 | pound |
ground beef
|
|
| 1 | large |
onions
chopped |
|
| 1 | clove |
garlic
chopped, to taste |
|
| 8 | ounces |
mozzarella cheese
shredded |
|
| ½ | cup |
bread crumbs
|
|
| 1 | large |
eggs
|
|
|
salt and black pepper
to taste |
* | ||
|
parsley leaves
to taste |
* | ||
|
oregano
to taste |
* | ||
| 6 | ounces |
pasta shells, jumbo
about 18 shells, or more as needed depending on size of shells |
* |
| 16 | ounces |
spaghetti sauce
one jar |
|
| ½ | cup |
Parmesan cheese
grated |
Directions
Heat a skillet over medium heat.
Add the mince (ground beef), onion and garlic.
Cook until the beef is browned and onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent.
Drain any accumulated fat and cool.
Cook shells in boiling water according to package directions (about 10 minutes), drain and rinse with cool water.
In a bowl, mix the meat mixture with mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, egg and seasonings.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with about ¼ of the spaghetti sauce.
Stuff the shells with the meat mixture and place in dish on top of sauce.
Pour remaining sauce over the stuffed shells and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 375℉ (190℃) F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Freezing instructions
I have frozen this dish several times with success.
Use the foil pans for this or put foil in your baking dish before the sauce and assembling shells.
You can cook the shells then cool and freeze; thaw and reheat at 350℉ (180℃) F until heated through.
You can also freeze the stuffed shells before cooking, then thaw and cook as directed.
The only thing I have noticed when freezing is that you may need to add more sauce over the top.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 246g (8.7 oz)
Why in the instructions on top states cook for an hour and below 20 to 25 minutes? Which one is correct?
almost 6 years agoAn hour is the estimation of overall cooking time, which includes browning the beef, the garlic, and boiling the pasta, etc. The actual baking time in the oven is about 25 minutes. Hope this helps. Happy Cooking :)
happyzhangbo
I heard on The Chew that you should never rinse pasta unless it's going to be used in a cold recipe.
over 5 years agoAll time favorite. Everyone loved it. Threw out all other shell recipies. I never like stuffed shells until now.
over 4 years agoMade this a couple of times, last two made the shells, put on a cookie sheet, placed in freezer until frozen. I then put frozen shells in freezer bags to use later. Easy Friday night supper. Delicious!
over 3 years agolooking forwards to make this tonight
over 3 years agoWhat about the mozzarella cheese?
over 3 years agohappyzhangbo
The mozzarella cheese is mixed with the meat "In a bowl, mix the meat mixture with mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, egg and seasonings." Hope this helps :)
over 3 years agoAdriana9
Came out great - would use half an onion next time though. Thanks for the recipe.
about 3 years agoThis looks yummy going out this weekend to get what I need to make can't wait I made stuffed chicken and spinach ones they were yummy also will post after I nm make these I'm sure try will be delish
over 2 years agoHow do the servings work on the nutritional information? Is that for the whole meal? Or is that for a certain amount of shells?
over 2 years agoThe nutrition information is based on 1/6 of the recipe. Hope this helps!
happyzhangbo
Made these for dinner tonight and they turned out great! I reduced the amount of parmesan cheese, but they still out cheesy and delicious. I will definitely be making this again
about 2 years agoMade these stuffed shells last night and oh my goodness. So delicious.
almost 2 years ago