Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
With a quick homemade tomato sauce underneath and packed with a ricotta cheese mixture, this is the best recipe for stuffed shells. It’s an easy enough meal that it’s perfect for any weeknight while it looks like it should be reserved for a special occasion. So if you have a family or a group of friends that love pasta, this is the recipe to make!
Servings 24 shells
Calories 355kcal
Ingredients
- 1 small onion minced
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- 1 large sprig basil
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 24 jumbo shells (cook 28 shells in case of any breakage)
For the three-cheese mixture
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese separated
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set it aside.
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion and salt. Sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent, 4-6 minutes. Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano. Stir into the onions for 1 minute and add the basil and tomatoes. Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then turn them down to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.1 small onion, ¾ tsp kosher salt, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ¾ tsp dried oregano, 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 large sprig basil
- While the sauce is simmering, in a large stock pot, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 2 tbsp of salt and the jumbo shells. Cook the shells until they are al dente, 8 minutes. Once cooked, drain the shells and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Set the shells aside to drain.24 jumbo shells (cook 28 shells in case of any breakage)
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg until it is smooth. Add the ricotta, salt, black pepper, lemon zest, fresh basil, fresh parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and set the mixture aside.1 large egg, 1 cup ricotta cheese, ½ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 2 tsp lemon zest, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Pour the prepared sauce into the prepared baking dish. Holding one shell at a time, spoon 2 tbsp of the ricotta mixture into the shell and set it in the sauce. Repeat for the remaining shells, filling up the baking dish. Top each of the shells with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the sauce is bubbling throughout and the cheese is melted, 25-30 minutes. Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven and serve.
Notes
- When making a homemade tomato sauce, use butter to brown the onion rather than oil. There’s a specific reason for this: the butter calms the acidity of the tomatoes and makes for a better-tasting sauce.
- It’s always important to wait to add the salt to the pasta water until it is boiling. There is no other opportunity to season the pasta, so salting the water will impart additional flavor to the pasta. And if worried about the sodium content, only a small amount of salt will actually make its way into the shells, but the flavor will be heightened.
- When zesting any citrus, hold the fruit in your palm. Take the Microplane and run it all over the citrus, keeping it steady. Let the Microplane do all of the moving. Since the Microplane will be face up, all of the zest will collect and can then be dumped right into the bowl along with all of the other ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 3shells | Calories: 355kcal