Easy Stuffed Shells With Marinara Sauce Recipes

CLASSIC STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
• Place the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
• Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture and place in the baking dish.
• Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top.
• Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
• Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.

EASY STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands or use a potato masher to roughly mash the tomatoes. Do leave some chunks of tomato.
• Add about 1 1/2 cups of water to the tomato mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic (do not let the garlic brown).
• Add the tomato mixture, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to combine.
• Place the fresh basil sprigs in the sauce and stir to submerge. Simmer the sauce for 15-30 minutes, or until it has thickened. Stir occasionally. Once it has thickened, taste and add more salt if needed. Remove the basil sprigs and set the sauce aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the pasta shells to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook the shells for 8 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes. Drain the shells and place open side down on paper towels or a clean dish towel.
• Add the 1-1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1-1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, the ricotta cheese, eggs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley to a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Stuff the shells with the cheese mixture. (I tried three methods and the easiest, at least for me, was holding the open shell in one hand and then using a teaspoon to pack the cheese mixture into the shell. Alternatively, you can add the cheese mixture to a piping bag and pipe it into the shells, or add the cheese mixture to a large plastic storage bag, snip off one corner, and pipe in the shells.)
• When all of the shells are filled, spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish and place the shells open side up in a single layer in the sauce.
• Pour the rest of the sauce over the shells and top with the reserved mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is puffed and golden.
• Garnish with chopped basil and serve immediately.

STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook shells in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente; drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and drain again.
• Lightly whisk egg yolks and egg in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; season with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to a large resealable plastic bag.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce in a 13x9" baking dish. Snip off 1 end of plastic bag and, working one at a time, squeeze filling into shells, arranging them in a single layer in baking dish as you go. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake shells until sauce is bubbling throughout, 35-40 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Carefully move rack to top of oven and heat broiler. Uncover pasta and broil until lightly browned on top, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano and more Parmesan and drizzle with oil.
• Do Ahead
• Pasta can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat, covered, at 375°F.

STUFFED SHELLS WITH ARRABBIATA SAUCE

Steps:

• Lightly oil a 12 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Lightly oil the baking sheet and set aside.
• Partially cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still quite firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. You will continue cooking the shells in the oven after they have been stuffed. Using a slotted spoon, drain pasta shells and place on oiled baking sheet, spreading them out so that they don't stick together and allow to cool.
• Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.
• In a medium bowl, stir the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolks, basil, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spoon 1 1/4 cups of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Arrange the shells in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the mozzarella.
• Bake in the lower third of your oven until the filling is heated through and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.