Spinach Pesto And Beef Stuffed Shells Recipes

SPINACH, PESTO, AND BEEF STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Brown the ground meat and season well with salt and pepper.
• Drain off the grease and put in a large bowl.
• Boil the shells, drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In the same skillet in which you browned the meat, add some olive oil and saute the spinach until completely done.
• Mix the pesto, cream cheese, Parmesan and spinach into the ground meat.
• Pour a little marinara into a large (large enough to hold all the manicotti in one layer) casserole dish, enough to allow the shells to sit on and not stick to the bottom of the dish.
• Then stuff the shells with the meat mixture and lay the stuffed shells into the casserole.
• Top each shell with Provolone.
• Pour remaining marinara over shells, top with shredded mozzarella.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, until hot and bubbly with the cheese all melted but not too browned.

EASY BEEF-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions to al dente; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups Italian cheese blend, Parmesan cheese, pesto, egg and half of the beef mixture., Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture into pasta shells; place in baking dish. Combine remaining beef mixture and spaghetti sauce; pour over shells. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese is melted, 5-10 minutes longer.

RICOTTA-STUFFED SHELLS WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Put a large pot of well-salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta shells, put the lid on the pot to help water return to a boil, then remove lid, stir pasta and continue cooking, uncovered until al dente, usually abut 10 minutes. (It's better to err on the undercooked side than risk flabby pasta, so check early and often.)
• Remove pasta from pot and cool in a large bowl of water. Drain well and spread cooked shells on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel.
• Meanwhile, make the ricotta filling: In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, scallions, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and juice, and crushed red pepper to taste. Add grated Parmesan and pecorino. Season well with salt and pepper and mix well to incorporate ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large shallow baking dish (use 2 dishes if necessary). Using a spoon or pastry bag, put about 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange the filled shells in one layer in the baking dish, packed closely together. Drizzle surface lightly with olive oil, or use a small brush to lightly paint each shell.
• Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup pecorino and bread crumbs and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until heated through, crisp and golden brown.
• To make the pesto, pulse basil, parsley, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor until roughly chopped. Add oil slowly and blend well. Add a little pepper, taste and adjust seasoning and transfer to a serving bowl.
• To serve, drizzle shells with a little pesto sauce and pass the rest at the table.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

CHEESY BEEF AND SPINACH MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Grease two 9-inch baking pans.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat stirring with wooden spoon cook the ground beef or bulk sausage meat with the onion until browned breaking up the meat while cooking (about 10-12 minutes the meat should be lightly browned) drain fat.
• Add in garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl then mix in the drained spinach, Parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese; set aside to cool (about 10-15 minutes).
• When the ground beef is cool add in mozzarella cheese, eggs, seasoned salt and black pepper mix well to combine, at this point you may season with more salt and pepper if desired and if you want more garlic flavor add in some garlic powder to the mixture.
• Spread about 1/4 to 1/3 cup marinara sauce onto the bottom of each baking pan.
• Carefully stuff each noodle with the beef mixture then place in one layer in the baking dish (you should have 7 in each dish).
• FOR ONE PAN; drizzle about 1-1/2 cups (or more) marinara sauce over shells, sprinkle about 3/4 cup or more of mozzarella cheese over sauce, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top; repeat with remaining pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (oven rack to to lowest position).
• Cover each pan with foil and bake 25 minutes, uncover and continue baking for another 8 minutes (allow to sit for about 15 minutes before serving).