Make Ahead Stuffed Shells Oamc Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS WITH CABOT WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well.
• Place ricotta and cream cheese in a bowl and mash together. Stir in 1 cup shredded cheese, egg, chopped basil and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, or barely tender. Drain well, making sure to empty shells of any remaining water; set aside to cool briefly.
• Spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce over bottom of large baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly into shells and arrange in dish. Pour remaining sauce over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover dish, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil.

MAKE AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS (OAMC)

Steps:

• Brown turkey over medium high heat and crumble into small pieces. Season with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. Set aside to cool.
• Combine Tomato sauces, tomato paste and 1 tbsp basil. Salt and Pepper to taste. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine Ricotta, cottage cheese and two eggs. Add in the last of the basil.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with tomato sauce. Stuff the uncooked pasta shells with cheese/meat filling and rest shells in tomato sauce. Repeat until you have run out of shells and filling (this may take more than one box of shells and will require 2 9x13 pans).
• Top pasta shells with shredded cheese. Cover and freeze for 2 months, or, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. You can bake this from frozen for about 50 minutes (altitude and oven types will vary).

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and then add in the pasta shells. I usually cook a few extra in case some fall apart. Cook for half of the time indicated on the package plus one minute. (About 5-6 minutes depending on the package you use). Drain the shells and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to be easily separated. Drain off any water and separate onto a sheet of parchment paper on the counter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix until completely combined. Add in the basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, and salt + pepper to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Stir gently.
• Finely grate the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add two cups of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese into the cheese mixture. Gently stir to completely combine.
• Transfer this cheese mixture to a large (gallon-sized) zipper-top plastic bag. Snip off 1-inch of the corner of the bag and "pipe" the cheese mixture into each of the shells. Each shell should get about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture (which should fill 25-26 shells).
• Spread half of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish.
• Place stuffed shells in the baking dish with the open side facing up. Pack the shells in close together.
• Cover shells evenly with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups marinara sauce. Aim to completely cover all of the shells to avoid hard parts of the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the shells. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with freshly chopped basil if desired. I also like to add a little more cracked pepper to the top!

STUFFED SHELLS III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
• Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

ARMADILLOS (STUFFED JUMBO SHELLS) OAMC

Steps:

• Cook meats together (and optional onion) - be sure not to leave too many large pieces. Drain and set aside to cool.
• Bring large kettle of water to boil and add shells. After about a minute turn heat down to medium and continue to boil - this will help keep your shells from breaking apart.
• Set aside about a cup of the marinara sauce.
• Drain noodles and rinse with cool water. Allow to dry slightly.
• After meat has cooled, add remaining marinara sauce and and 1 1/2 cups cheese. The cheese should not melt if you allowed the meat to cool properly. This mixture should be at least as thick as pudding.
• Spray the bottom of your cooking pan ( I use an 8x8 Oven Gladware - best invention ever!). One at a time fill each shell with a spoonful of mixture. (This is easiest if you squeeze the ends of the shell to open it like a coin purse) Place each filled shell in the pan, seam down (this is why they look like armadillos!). I can get about 15 shells in an 8x8 pan, don't be afraid to pack them close together. When all the shells are filled there I usually have a little mixture leftover. Add the remaining marinara to make a thinner sauce and spread over the top. Add the remaining mozzarella on top. At this point you can cover, label and freeze or cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes - enough to heat everything through.
• *Freezer Directions: It is best to thaw in the fridge, but in a pinch you can warm slowly in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!*.

MAKE-AHEAD UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Mix cream cheese spread, basil, Parmesan, milk and Italian seasoning in large bowl until blended; stir in pasta. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

BASIC CHEESE FILLED STUFFED SHELLS-OAMC

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to directions on box.
• Combine all other ingredients.
• Fill each shell with about 2 tbsp cheese mixture.
• Place in foil lined 9x13 pan in a single layer. Wrap in foil and freeze.
• When fully frozen, you can remove the foil wrapped shells from the pan so it takes up less space. When ready to eat, place in same pan.
• To serve, thaw. Cover with spaghetti sauce and recover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes until hot and bubbly.