Baked Shells Recipe

I absolutely love going to nice restaurants, particularly Italian restaurants. Order a nice glass of wine, eat some delicious pasta, go home one happy lady. The problem with going out to nice restaurants is that typically the portions are small and the prices are high. One of my favorite meals to eat at a nice Italian restaurant are Stuffed Shells. Not only are they amazingly tasty, but they're pretty filling as well! Fed up with the high restaurant prices I decided to go on a search for a recipe that I would love, and voila! I found it. 

What I loved about the original recipe is that not only was it easy, but it gave me the recipe to make my own sauce for it as well. Of course I had to change a couple things to make what I had in the pantry work with the recipe, but I was ecstatic to have found such a gem. I knew i had to share it with my lovely readers. 

What You Need:

1 Box of Jumbo Shells

What You Need To Do:

Cook as directed on the back of the pasta box, I cooked until al dente.

What You Need:

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1 1/2 Teaspoons of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

3/4 Teaspoon of Salt

4 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped

1 Can (28 OZ) Crushed Tomatos

1 Can (14 OZ) Diced Tomatos

What You Need To Do:

On your stove top, combine the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir over medium-high heat until your ingredients start to warm up (about 45 seconds-1 minute).

Next, stir in the crushed tomatoes and the diced tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer (approximately 2-4 minutes). Remove from heat and do a taste test to see if the sauce needs more salt (this will be to your preference).

Pour approximately half of the sauce into the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan, leaving the remainder of the sauce in the pot and set both aside for later.

What You Need:

1 (15 OZ) Container of Ricotta Cheese (I used reduced fat)

1 Cup of Grated Mozzarella

1 Egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4-5 Chopped Green Onions (Original recipe called for Chives but I didn't have them on hand)

What You Need To Do: 

Start by beating your egg in a medium sized bowl. Next, add the ricotta cheese and the mozzarella cheese and stir until combined. Add in your salt and about 3/4 of your green onions (or chives) and stir until thoroughly combined.

Prior to assembling your shells, preheat your oven to 350*. Here's where the recipe can get a little messy! Using a spoon (or if you have something easier, by all means, use it!) add a spoonful to a spoonful and a half of the ricotta mixture in each shell. I fit approximately 20 shells in my 9X13 pan, and I ended up taking out another small pan to cook the remaining shells. 

Once your shells are stuffed, top with your remaining sauce, green onions, and as much mozzarella cheese as you fancy! 

Cover your baking pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until they are cooked thoroughly.

Doesn't it look scrumptious?!

Remove from your oven and let cool for just a few minutes so you won't burn your mouth before gorging into this lovely meal. 

YUM!

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