Description
Comforting beef-stuffed shells with creamy ricotta filling bring Italian-American cuisine to your dinner table. Melted cheese, rich meat, and delicate pasta create a hearty meal that satisfies with each savory bite you’ll enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 1 pounds (454 grams) ground beef
Cheese:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) Parmesan cheese, grated
Pasta and Other Ingredients:
- 12 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) marinara sauce
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the oven at 375F (190C) and cook pasta shells until al dente, then drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Sauté ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until thoroughly browned, eliminating excess fat, then incorporate marinara sauce and remove from heat.
- Create a creamy ricotta filling by whisking ricotta cheese with egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until uniformly blended.
- Carefully fill each cooled pasta shell with the prepared ricotta mixture, arranging them systematically in a baking dish.
- Distribute the seasoned beef and marinara sauce evenly across the stuffed shells, ensuring complete coverage.
- Generously top the shells with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, creating a comprehensive cheese layer.
- Shield the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until cheese transforms into a golden, effervescent crust.
- Allow the dish to rest momentarily before serving to enhance flavor integration and structural stability.
Notes
- Use large pasta shells to ensure easy stuffing and optimal cheese-to-meat ratio.
- Drain beef thoroughly to prevent excess grease making the dish soggy and heavy.
- Consider mixing ground beef with Italian sausage for deeper, more complex flavor profile.
- Experiment with low-fat ricotta and part-skim mozzarella for a lighter, healthier version of the dish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 475 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg