
12 jumbo pasta shells
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, diced
½ pound 80/20 ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounce tub ricotta cheese
1 box frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed really well of excess water
1 egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
2 ½ cups marinara sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 9 glass dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Partially cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still a little firm to the bite, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, add olive oil to medium pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened slightly. Add ground beef and garlic; break up beef as it cooks and sauté until it is cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Add ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese and meat mixture to a medium size bowl and mix well until combined.
- Lightly cover the bottom of the glass dish with a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce.
- Fill cooked shells with cheese mixture. Place into cooking dish. Cover shells with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella, remaining Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil and parsley.
- Cook in oven for 20 – 25 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
- Serves 4
What a great post – and a delicious sondniug dinner! It’s wonderful to get kids involved in cooking early – so good for them! My son is 17 now and not only does he love to cook, but he has a good awareness of seasonality and sustainability. Not to mention the fun family times we had in the kitchen when he was growing up!