Becky Miles
Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 158 Feedbacks 
I've been making this recipe for years. It uses cream cheese instead of the usual ricotta. It is delicious. It's my go-to recipe when I go to gatherings or to take to someone who is ill or just had a baby. ( I just leave the instructions on how to bake it and pack along some garlic bread and salad). The original recipe uses 3 pounds of meat and makes a lot of shells. I cut it down to be enough for our family. But, you can double or triple it for large get-togethers.
Total Time: 45 minutes to make the shells, 1 hour to bake.
Yield: About 17 or 18 shells
Source: Food Network recipe "Northern Italian Pasta Shell Stuffing"
Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/northern-italian-pasta-shell-stuffing-recipe.html
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 1/2 box (12 oz) jumbo shells
- pasta sauce (I used a 24 oz can)
Steps:
- Cook your pasta shells in salted water until al dente. I usually cook them for a minute less than the directions. You don't want them to get soggy while baking. Drain pasta. Let shells sit on a pan to cool down a little bit before handling.
- Squeeze the water out of the thawed spinach.
- Cook beef and onions until browned and cooked. Drain the grease from the pan.
- Add to a big bowl, along with spinach and cream cheese. Let it sit for a few minutes. The heat from the meat helps to melt the cream cheese a bit and makes it easier to stir. Stir mixture.
- Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper (according to taste). Taste your mixture now. If it needs more salt, add it. *Do this before you add your egg.
- Once cooled down a bit, add your egg and stir until mixed.
- Spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray. Pour enough pasta sauce in the bottom of your pan to coat the pan.
- Stuff shells with meat mixture. I add about 3 tablespoons or so.
- Put your shells in the pan. Once finished, top shells with remaining sauce. I like it all covered and smothered in sauce.
- Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Place dish on a cookie sheet or some other larger pan to catch any drips.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.
- Let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
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melissa
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 293 Posts October 5, 20150 found this helpful
I love pasta and this looks DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Donna
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 555 Posts October 7, 20150 found this helpful
New to me!~ Gotta try it! Thanks!
Donna
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 555 Posts October 23, 20150 found this helpful
I tried it...with only a little sausage that was already in my homemade sauce and it is a real winner! I am going to make a meatless version for my vegetarian kids during the holidays!
Note: Cream cheese IS the cheese with the highest fat content, so save this for special occasions! ;)
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