Stuffed Shells

Because of her fond memories of cooking with her mom in the kitchen, Cheryl purposefully schedules one-on-one cooking time with each of her three children.  She loves cooking with her kids because it gives her quality time with them, it helps them develop independence, and it has led to some great conversations. Stuffed shells are a family favorite.

Cheryl and daughter Mya will walk you through the steps to this yummy main dish.  Not only will you end up with a delicious dinner, you’ll also be making lasting memories.

 

Ingredient List

1 lb. jumbo pasta shells

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (could use Italian sausage, pork, or turkey)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 24 oz.  jar marinara sauce or 1 can crushed tomatoes

1 24 oz, container ricotta or cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

 

First, heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 13 x 9 (or whatever size you recommend) baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then add pasta shells to boiling water and cook until slightly tender (4 to 6 minutes, very al dente). Drain pasta and add a splash of olive oil to shells to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet. Add the ground beef and one crushed garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring until the meat is no longer pink (6 to 8 minutes). Then transfer the meat to a medium mixing bowl and let it cool a bit.

While the meat is cooling, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the marinara sauce and the remaining garlic to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Now for the fun part! Even young kids can get involved.

Stir 1 1/2 cups of sauce into cooled ground beef, add ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Mix well. Spoon 1 ¼ cups of sauce into the prepared baking dish.

 

Now you are ready to fill your shells.

Fill each shell with mixture, about 2 tbsp. per shell. Cheryl and Mya have it set up assembly-line style.

Arrange shells in the dish and spoon remaining sauce over shells.  Then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Finally, bake until filling is heated through and the shells are golden brown on top.

Enjoy your dinner together!

 Kim Harms lives in Huxley, Iowa with her husband and three growing sons who eat a lot of food. She is a freelance writer and a co-founder of 500 Dresses, a clothing ministry to Haitian children. You can find her online at kimharms.net and 500dresses.org.