Anyone have a good recipe for stuffed shells?

[lmintzer]

I'm hosting my book club on Tues. and am making the main dish!

Thanks!

[lmintzer]

My ideal would be something I could make up Mon. night and just bake on Tuesday!

Thanks!

[michlyn]

Hey Lisa - a friend of mine made this dish for me after I had Vanessa, and then she gave me the recipe. I've never made it since I'm no cook, but it was tasty. You can leave the meat in or out as your preference.

Italian Stuffed Shells
1 12 oz Jumbo Shell Pasta
2 eggs
1 lb ground beef
2/3 c. chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups water
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 T beef bouillon
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 16 oz container of Ricotta cheese
2 c shredded Mozarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta thoroughly and drain. In a large saucepan, brown meat and pour off fat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in water, tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon and italian seasoning. Cover. Simmer 30 minutes. In a medium bowl mix all cheeses and eggs. Stuff shells with cheese mixture. Arrange in a 13x9" baking pan, overlapping slightly. Pour sauce over shells. Top with more mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. Let stand uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

[TLC1994]

Here's the recipe that my Mom always made when I was growing up & now I make a lot for company. These shells have a white sauce, not a tomato sauce. I've never made these a day ahead of time, so you'd just have to give it a shot. I would think you could get the shells all stuffed the day before, then do the sauce just before baking & be safe with that. Or make everything up the day before and just bake on the day you'll be serving them. Just keep in mind that the sauce really thickens up as it sits, so you'll probably have to re-heat it so you'll be able to pour it over the shells. Here you go:

SHELLS FLORENTINE (serves 6)

Ingredients For Shells:
20 Jumbo shells (I always throw in a couple extra in case they break)
1/2 C. chopped celery
2 T. chopped onion
2 T. olive oil
2 C. cottage cheese
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, cooked & drained
1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. dried oregano

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain. While shells are cooking, cook celery and onion in oil until tender. Combine with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Stuff shells.

Ingredients for Sauce:
2 T. chopped onion
3 T. olive oil
3 T. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. milk
3/4 C. water
1/4 C. parmesan cheese
1 chicken boullion cube

Cook onion in oil, blend in flour, salt & a dash of pepper. Add bouillion cube, milk and water. Cook and stir until sauce is thick and bubbly. Pour 1/2 of sauce in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Arrange shells in sauce. Bake covered for 15 minutes at 375. Drizzle on remaining sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered 10 minutes more.

I always serve this with italian sausage cooked with green & red peppers, salad and garlic bread. It's always a hit! Enjoy!

[zuzu]

Here's another one, compliments of Cooking Light. I like that it makes two - one to cook now and one to freeze for later.

Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

This dish goes straight from the freezer to oven - no thawing required. The fire-roasted tomatoes in the marinara sauce give the dish a subtle smoky flavor. You can also easily vary the filling by adding basil or oregano and a different cheese. (We tried fontina instead of mozzarella and threw in some arugula for a peppery bite.) Make some garlic bread and a green salad and dinner's on.

1 pound jumbo shell pasta (40 shells)
Cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
6 cups Smoky Marinara (recipe below)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°.

Coat 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking dishes with cooking spray; set aside.

Place cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine cottage cheese mixture, Asiago, and next 6 ingredients (Asiago through spinach).

Spoon or pipe 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each shell. Arrange half of stuffed shells, seam sides up, in one prepared dish. Pour 3 cups Smoky Marinara over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat procedure with remaining stuffed shells, Smoky Marinara, and mozzarella in remaining prepared dish.

Cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover frozen casserole with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the shells are thoroughly heated.

Yield: 2 casseroles, 5 servings per dish (serving size: about 4 stuffed shells and about 1/2 cup smoky marinara)

* * * * * * *

Smoky Marinara

Look for fire-roasted tomatoes (we used Muir Glen) in the organic section or with the canned tomatoes in your supermarket.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano; sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Yield: 6 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

[lmintzer]

Thanks, ladies. These look great. LOL, Michelle. You know I don't cook, either. But I have to pretend at least for one night. : )

I'm a little worried about letting the shells sit in the fridge overnight. So maybe what I'll do is just make up the sauce tonight and cook the shells and stuff during nap tomorrow. It's risky planning anything much for naptime, though.

If anyone has ever made a dish like this and let it sit in the fridge overnight before cooking, please let me know. It'd be great to have it all done before tomorrow, so I can spend naptime cleaning up contractor dust (our house is so dusty--we are having our basement finished, but everything seems to float upward).

Thanks again! Off to preschool!

[cmo]

I have made stuffed shells many times, and usually make a big batch to have some left over to freeze for bonus dinners later on! You can make all the main parts up your dish today, and assemble them tomorrow. I do think if you made the whole dish and let it sit in the refrigerator, the pasta would get mushy. Make up the filling, cover it, and then stuff the pasta shells tomorrow. You can also boil the pasta shells a day ahead. Undercook them by a minute or two (they will cook more when you bake them in the oven), then rinse well in cold water and drain. Place them in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator and stuff them later. Make your sauce as planned. This will get you about 75% of the way to a fantastic dish. Hope your dinner goes well!

[lmintzer]

Thank you for the tips! I will try what you suggested to make life easier tomorrow!