The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Three Cheese-Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce

4.69 Mitt(s) 13 Rating(s)13 votes, average: 4.69 out of 513 votes, average: 4.69 out of 513 votes, average: 4.69 out of 513 votes, average: 4.69 out of 513 votes, average: 4.69 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

Hearty, Cheesy, Meaty. Translation: Man and Kid Approved!

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells
  • 30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
  • 8 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Grated, Divided
  • ½ cups Grated Romano Cheese
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 12 leaves Basil, Chiffonade
  • 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • ½ whole Medium Onion, Chopped
  • 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • ½ pounds Italian Sausage
  • ½ cups Red Wine
  • 1 whole (28 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 whole (15 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

Preparation

Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for a minute or two.

Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; can add crushed red peppers if you like a little heat.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined.

To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crusty French bread.

4 Comments

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morgaine28 on 1.16.2013

Has anyone ever made stuffed shells in a crockpot? Need a way to keep these warm and was thinking I could put them in a crockpot after assembly instead of baking them.

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kelsey07 on 12.7.2010

I made this last night and both my husband and I loved it. One thing I did to help with the time management of this dish was start the boiling water and shells first. then set up the sauce while the shells were going. Then I drained the shells and let them sit in the colander and cool a bit (bc hot pasta hurts) while I made the cheese mixture. Then since assembling the shells can take a little bit, instead of waiting for the sauce to be ready and spreading it in the dish first. I let the sauce continue to cook and grabbed a deviled egg dish and started filling the shells with the cheese mixture. the little egg nests in the plate are perfect for holding the curled up stuffed shells and then I can assemble all my shells while the sauce is cooking instead of having to wait and making the prep time longer.

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BecBrodie on 10.19.2010

I made this the other night and it was amazing and very easy! I have plans to make it at lest twice more this month for various reasons. Its going to become a staple dish for our family.

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wyogal on 10.5.2010

Yep, “man” pasta! Love it! We just won’t tel them that we use the word “chiffonade.”
We have “man” pizza here… red sauce, meat, another kind of meat, and top it off with more meat. and cheese. lots of cheese.

13 Reviews

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anjaconda on 3.24.2012

Absolutely delicious – much better than the recipe on the back of the pasta box that I used to make. I cut down on sugar a little and used some oregano in my sauce also. I had some shells left over without cheese mix left, so next time I’ll make more cheese mix and have left-overs. :) I used sweet Italian chicken sausage. We loved it. This makes it into our rotation. Thanks.

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kellykitchen on 3.5.2012

This is delicious. My boyfriend may or may not have eaten half of it in the course of a night. Super yummy. Thanks Ree!

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skippykaren on 1.20.2012

I’ve made this numerous times for company, for a “drop off dinner” for friends in need…but I usually make it for just for my little family. This is my husbands favorite recipe! Thank you for such a great recipe Ree! My husband thinks I’m a rockstar in the kitchen now because of you!

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Michelle on 6.4.2011

I used ground beef as well and it was wonderful! I make the full batch and free 1/2 of it for another day.

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worncotton on 3.22.2011

I replaced the sausage and used ground beef (not big sausage people here). This is amazing! The entire family loved it!

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