Stuffed shells recipe



Classic stuffed ricotta shells made with a ricotta filling with three types of cheese and homemade marinara sauce. This stuffed shell recipe is very cheesy and made with fresh herbs and flavors of garlic. The whole dish will take about 45 minutes to prepare but the crust can also be stuffed beforehand.

I always recommend making your own marinara sauce and it can easily be made ahead of time. Make extra sauce for enough homemade lasagna, too.

* ingredients :

° 3 cups marinara sauce
+macaroni:
° Jumbo Shells 8 oz 18 shells but with a few extras
° salt
° fresh black pepper
° 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Ricotta filling:
° 15 oz Full Fat Ricottaa cheese
° 8 oz cheese mozzarella
° 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
° 1 egg
° 1 tablespoon minced fresh or dry parsley
° 1 tablespoon minced fresh or dry basil
° 1 teaspoon dry thyme
° salt
° fresh black pepper
° 3 crushed garlic cloves
Topping:
° mozzarella cheese
° dry spices

* Directions :

   Preheat Oven 350 degres & light grease 9 * 13 baking plate .
macaroni:
Tip: Season the water in which the pasta is cooked to give it more flavour.
Tip: This recipe makes about 18 stuffed crusts but cooks 2-3 more crusts just in case some of the crusts are torn and cracked.
Cook pasta with jumbo shells according to package directions, until done. You want the crust to be undercooked because it will finish cooking in the oven.
Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool enough to handle.
Ricotta filling:
While the pasta is cooking, mix the filling.
Combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, herbs, pressed garlic, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix everything well, until all ingredients are evenly mixed. (Put about 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish.)
the bread:
Spread about 3 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, spreading evenly.

Fill each crust with about 1.5-2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling and place it in the pan.
++Tip: I don't want to put the shells seams down because stuffing often seeps out of the shells, so place the shells in the pan seam up.
Sprinkle a little mozzarella and oregano over each shell and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy !