Stuffed Shells for Valentines Day
Rated 3.7 stars by 167 users
Servings
4
Cook Time
50 minutes
Ingredients
Simple Sauce
- 1 28 oz. can San Marzano Tomatoes (blend in blender for a few seconds) or leave the tomatoes whole for a more rough texture)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 links Italian sausage (mild), casings removed.
- 3 Tablespoons pasta water
Stuffed Shells
- 20 large shells
- 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 egg, beaten
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Boil the shells according to package directions. Save some pasta water. Lay the cooked shells out on parchment paper or foil. Let cool.
In a medium saucepan put the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered stirring occasionally. Stir in the olive oil and pasta water. Set aside.
In a separate small fry pan brown the sausage until cooked through, breaking it up nicely. Drain the grease if any. Stir the sausage into the tomato sauce. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix the ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, lemon zest beaten egg and pepper. Stir until combined. Stuff the shells.
Spoon ¼ of the sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 or equivalent baking pan. Lay the stuffed shells into the pan on top of the sauce. Cover with remaining sauce.
Bake at 350 until bubbly about 20-25 minutes. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted about 4 more minutes.
Recipe Note
Serve with: French baguettes or Italian bread and a green salad or green vegetable
Variations: May leave out the sausage to make it meatless. Saute 2 cups fresh spinach in a little olive oil, then chop and add to the cheese mixture.
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