Easy Stuffed Shells

So I posted that I would be making Stuffed Shells and using a recipe by Kneaders Bakery to make them. I decided to tweak a few things in the recipe to make it work for my family. I actually made the shells for some friends and they loved it. They were surprised at how I made the sauce and said it tasted home made! This is the only way that I make spaghetti sauce because it is the way my hubby likes it. This recipe makes a 9X13 pan which fed 4 adults and 2 kids and we had some leftover.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of large pasta shells
• 2 c. Ricotta Cheese
• 3 c. Mozzarella Cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
  
• ½ c. grated Parmesan Cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. dried Parsley
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Pepper

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• 1 package McCormick Italian Spaghetti sauce (you will need 1 can of tomato paste to make this sauce)

Method:

1-Cook ground beef and drain the grease. Make the spaghetti sauce according to package. Follow the directions for the meat sauce.

2-In a separate pot bring water to a boil. Add shells and cook according to package directions.

3-In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley salt and pepper.

To Assemble:

1-In the bottom of a baking dish (9 by 13) put ¼ cup of the meat sauce mixture.

2-Stuff shells full of cheese mixture and place in the baking dish.

3-Pour the rest of the meat sauce on top of the shells.

4- Sprinkle the extra cheeses on top.

5-Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Spaghetti Sauce

Dusty asked me for a marinara sauce, so here is one. I made these for neighbor gifts and friend gifts for Christmas and froze the rest. We love it! The recipe is Giadas from foodnetwork.com.

Simple Tomato Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups