Lasagna Stuffed Shells

This is my favorite variation of lasagna. Meat, sauce, cheese all assembled in jumbo pasta shells. Serve these with a salad and french bread and you have a meal that you can proudly claim as your own. No going out tonight honey. I bring Italian to you :)

Ingredients:

for the beef:

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb ground beef *

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

salt, black pepper, oregano

*You can mix ground spicy turkey sausage with the beef if you want to, or use just beef which was really tasty. You can also add a handful of spinach. I did not this time.

for the filling:

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 of a (15 oz) carton whole-milk ricotta cheese (next time I will note how many cups this is.)

salt and black pepper

for the sauce:

2 cups jarred spaghetti sauce (I use chunky garden veggie)

1 small clove garlic, minced

salt, black pepper, and oregano

15 jumbo pasta shells

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente. Drain and drizzle with olive oil.  In the meantime, prepare the beef, sauce, and filling.

For the beef: Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and oregano (season well!). Cook for a few minutes then add the ground beef.

For the filling: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the beef mixture.

For the sauce: Heat the spaghetti sauce in a small pot. Add the minced garlic and season with salt, black pepper, and a little oregano.

To assemble: First drizzle olive oil in the bottom of Pyrex or casserole dish. Then add a good amount of the spaghetti sauce to it. Fill each pasta shell with the cheese/beef mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over each shell followed by additional mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbly. At the same time, heat the french bread. Serve with a salad.

Source: daliasdelights