Stuffed Shells Two Ways With Tomato Rose Sauce Recipes

STUFFED SHELLS FOR TWO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F Have a small casserole dish ready.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the shells for 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, salt, basil, and the egg.
• Spread 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Stuff each shell with a small amount of the ricotta cheese mixture and place closely together in the dish. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 -10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.

STUFFED SHELLS TWO WAYS WITH TOMATO ROSE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the Ricotta Filling: In a bowl, whisk together the cheeses and the egg until well combined. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and parsley for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through (about 7-8 minutes).
• Add the chopped spinach to meat and cook for an additional minute (you can reserve about 4 tablespoons of spinach for the topping).
• Remove from heat and add the shredded cheese; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Make the Rosé Sauce: Stir together the marinara sauce with the cream and red wine.
• Spread about 1 cup of the rosé sauce evenly in the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish.
• Use a teaspoon to fill half the pasta shells with the Ricotta Filling; fill the remaining pasta shells with the Meat and Spinach Filling.
• Arrange filled shells in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
• Pour rosé sauce over the pasta shells and top with grated Parmesan cheese (and the reserved spinach, if desired).
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 minutes.

DO-AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• If serving immediately, heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make Tomato Sauce: Soak mushrooms in the warm warm until softened, 30 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and the reserved soaking liquid, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat 10 minutes. Chop parsley with basil; add to sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Mix remaining ingredients except Parmesan in medium bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan until blended.
• Using soup spoon, stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture.
• Place half the tomato sauce in casserole large enough to hold shells in single layer, or divide sauce among 2 or 3 smaller casseorles. Place shells over tomato sauce, then spoon remaining sauce over shells.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over shells. Cover and bake until heated through, 12-15 minutes. Serve with additional Parmesan.
• Or, let unbaked sauced shells cool to room temperature, cover tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. To serve, thaw covered in refrigerator, then bake as directed and serve with addtiional grated Parmesan cheese.

THE BEST STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• For the marinara sauce: Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, add the basil and dried oregano, partially cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 45 minutes.
• Remove the basil sprig. If the sauce is still too chunky, mash the larger chunks of tomato with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• For the shells and filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the dried pasta shells cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly but not cooked. (The pasta shells should flexible enough to be filled but remain very al dente; they will continue to cook during baking.) Drain, then run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well again.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and egg in a large bowl until well combined and uniform. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a large disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag (or use a spoon for filling directly from the bowl).
• Spread 2 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Snip off the end of the pastry bag and squeeze the filling into the shells one at a time. Arrange the shells open-side up in a tight single layer in the baking dish as you fill them. Top with the remaining marinara sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the shells until the sauce is bubbling throughout and the filling is heated through, about 35 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the pan and continue to bake for 10 more minutes to reduce the sauce. Let cool slightly before serving. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.