What is a cheap family meal that is your go-to dinner? For me, it’s spaghetti or lasagna, but my husband can easily get burned out on those two meals. Thus, the Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe was created!
Truthfully, what is not to love about this recipe? The ricotta cheese is perfect for stuffing the shells, and then the meat sauce on top adds the perfect acidity and protein to complement the cheese. Sprinkle some parmesan on top to add some more flavor, and you have a delicious meal!
Step 1: Make the Sauce
All you need is one pound of ground beef and marinara sauce. I like to season my ground beef with seasoning salt while it’s cooking. After it cooks, I drain the grease and add the marinara sauce. Lastly, I put the heat down on low and let it simmer. That’s it!
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
This is very simple. I just boil water, add the pasta, and let it cook. Stir every few minutes to make sure the shells do not stick. Mine usually do not because I make half the container of shells at a time. However, if you cook the whole box at once for a large meal, add some butter to the water to help the pasta not stick together.
Next, drain the pasta, and then add cold water to the pan. I do this to cool the shells down so I can hold them in my hand to stuff them.
Prepare a baking dish by putting some marinara sauce on the very bottom of it. This will keep the shells from sticking to the pan, and it will keep them from drying out in the oven.
Step 3: Let’s Stuff Some Shells
For this step, you will need some ricotta cheese. I use Simple Truth Organics because my husband cannot digest cow hormones, but you can use an off brand or any name brand of your choice! Hold the pasta shells in your hand one at a time, and use a spoon to put the ricotta inside the shells. Then lay the shells on your prepared baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. I place the shells close together. View the image below as an example. I do this because of how I lay the sauce on top!
Step 4: Add the Sauce & Parmesan
Take your sauce off of the heat, and stir it. Next, spoon it over the ricotta stuffed pasta shells. To add more flavor, sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. I like to also add a little bit of seasoning salt over that because the ricotta doesn’t have a strong taste. So, the salt brings out more flavor!
Once you finish with the toppings, put the shells in the oven to bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They should be bubbling a little when you take them out.
Serve, and enjoy!
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Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
Equipment
- Baking Dish
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 Can Marinara Sauce 12 oz to be exact
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 Box Jumbo Pasta Shells
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown the ground beef, and season with seasoning salt.
- Drain the grease from the beef. Add the marinara sauce to the meat. Put heat on low to simmer.
- Spread two table spoons of marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Boil water and add pasta shells. Let them cook until semi-soft. Stir often to prevent sticking.
- Drain pasta and spray with cold water to cool the pasta enough to hold them in your hands.
- Take individual pasta shells, and stuff them with ricotta cheese. Place each shell in the marinara sauce on the baking dish.
- Remove meat sauce from heat. Stir, and pour over the stuffed pasta shells. Top with parmesan cheese (sprinkle seasoning salt over the top for added flavor).
- Cook in the oven on 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble. Remove from oven. Serve and enjoy!