Lasagna Stuffed Shells

Have you ever had a meal that works, but you feel like you still need a change?  That’s where these lasagna stuffed shells came from.

I don’t make lasagna often.  It’s a lot of prep work, and whether or not the younger kids eat it depends on how high in the sky the sun is, which way the wind is blowing, and who last stepped in their Cheerios.  If I’m going to go through all that prep work, I want to make sure that there is going to be a big payoff.  In this house, that means the kids eat it without picking at it or complaining.

So I figured I would need a different take on lasagna.

Let me say, this doesn’t save much by way of prep time.  You’re still boiling noodles, prepping the cheese filling and cooking up the meat sauce.  And it certainly doesn’t save on a mess.  I think this version is by far messier.

I also like to fit as many shells into my baking dish as I can, which is about 30.  I’m not going for the 1st place in presentation; I’m going for the most food for my baking dish real estate without adding considerable amounts of time to the cooking time.

But it saves on bake time.  And the presentation is one that the kids like.  They’re intrigued when they see shells stuffed with meat sauce rather than on top of spaghetti.  And rather than trying to pick the lasanga noodles out of a plethora of meat sauce, they gobbled it up inside the shells.

The best part about this meal is that it makes a lot, which meals leftovers!  So make it on a day where you have a little more time to devote to the meal, and the mess you’ll need to clean up afterwards.  {I’d say about an hour to an hour & a half, depending on how many distractions you have and how many times your leg gets pulled in different directions}.

With soccer starting up next week, this meal is going to be on our meal plans a few times before June.  All it takes is some simple prep work from the get go, and we’ve got lunches for the rest of the week.  Or even a second dinner for those weeknights when you have to be out of the house no sooner than you got home and unlocked the door.

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 box jumbo shells
• 1 – 24oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1.5 – 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.  Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Cook shells according to directions.  Drain, and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook the beef until browned and cooked through.  Drain any remaining fat.
4. Add spaghetti sauce to the beef and cook until heated through.
5. In a large bowl, mix together egg, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese & 1 cup mozzarella cheese until combined.
6. Add half of the meat sauce to the cheese mixture.
7. Spoon half of the remaining meat mixture into the bottom of your baking dish.
8. Working one shell at a time, spoon the meat-cheese mixture into the cooled off shells.  {This is where it starts to get messy!  A tablespoon or two per shell works well}.  Place shells in your baking dish.
9. Top with the remaining meat mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
10. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and serve.

Serves: 8 – 10

Do you have a meal that you’ve modified to be more appealing?  Let me know in the comments below!  I’m always looking for new recipes to add to our meal plans.