CHEESY STUFFED SHELLS {RECIPE}

Once again I FORGOT to take a picture of the final dish!  So I found this picture HERE.

Stuffed shells are easy and yummy and they freeze well.  So, make a big batch and freeze some for later!  Here is how I make mine:

Gather your ingredients: Pepper, basil parsley, ricotta, Italian shredded cheese blend, jumbo shells, eggs, marinara, mozzarella, and kosher salt for the pasta water.

Throw your ricotta, shredded cheeses, herbs and spices, and egg yolks into a bowl.

Mix it all up till thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile, boil your jumbo shells in salted boiling water.  Undercook them by about 3 minutes.  When they are done, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  This keeps them from sticking:)

Now, get your baking pan and spray it with cooking spray.  If you will be freezing a pan, line your pan with heavy duty foil and spray it with cooking spray.  Then place a small amount of sauce in the bottom and spread it around to coat the bottom.

Now, fill your shells with the cheese mixture and place them in the pan.  To make your life a whole-heck-of-a lot easier, use a big cookie scoop to do the filling!  EASY! (The spoon you see was simply to balance the shell while I used my right hand to take a picture and my left to stuff it…not terrible easy, but you don’t need the spoon unless you are trying to record your recipe steps for your blog)

Keep going till the pan is full, then do your other pan. (This is a lot of shells.  Adults eat 2-3 and little kids eat 1-2 usually.  They are quite filling.  So if you don’t have 5 kids like me you might want to do smaller pans of them.)

Now, spoon your marinara over the top, doing your best to cover each and every bit of noodle.  I like to use my Homemade Marinara.

Then top the pan with some shredded mozzarella.

Bake and enjoy!  But not before you take a picture!!!

Recipe: Stuffed Shells (or Manicotti)

Yield: 36 shells

Ingredients:

• slightly undercooked large pasta shells or manicotti, drained (36 shells)
• 1.5 quarts of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1.5 pounds ricotta cheese
• 4 or 5 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 1 c. shredded asiago cheese (or substitute 2 cups of an Italian 4 cheese blend for the parm/regg and asiago)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 c. chopped flat leaf parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 2 Tbsp dried)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Spray 2 baking dishes with Pam. You can use a 9x13 and a 9x9. Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of each pan. Combine ricotta, half of the mozzarella, the other cheeses, and the next 4 ingredients. Mix well. Using a large cookie scoop, stuff inside your pasta. Use your thumb to press it down a bit. Place in a baking dish with a little sauce on the bottom, then cover completely with more sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella. Cover one pan well with foil and then plastic wrap and freeze for another day. Cover the other pan with foil. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until filling is nice and hot! Remove foil after 15-20 minutes to let cheese brown. Serve with salad and a crusty bread.