Hiding veggies in a great meat sauce, stuffed in jumbo pasta shells lathered with cheese is the trick of a mom and grandma!
Course Pasta
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword Healthy Stuffed Pasta Shells
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Equipment
Large pot
Slotted spoon
Baking dish
Ingredients
1Large Onion finely chopped
2lbsGround beef or Turkey or 2 cups cooked French lentils
1tbspOlive oil
2tspSalt
pinchCayenne pepper or 1 fresh chili pepper
2Garlic clovescrushed
1/4cupFresh Oregano or 2 tbsp dried
2cupsZucchini grated
224-ozTomato sauce jars or cans
1cupGrated cheese extra if preferred
24ozLarge Pasta Shells 2 boxes
Instructions
Saute onions in olive oil. Add ground meat (or lentils). Stir and cook until most of the pink is gone. Add spices, zucchini and tomato sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Then cool.
Meanwhile, cook the shells according to directions. Run under cold water to stop cooking, lay the shells out on a tray or parchment paper and allow to drain.
Place as much filling as you can fit into the shells. Layer the shells in a baking dish and generously sprinkle cheese on top of each layer.
When ready to serve, simply pop into a 325 oven, covered with foil or a lid, for about 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Video
Notes
This recipe can be arranged and then frozen. Keeping small disposable baking trays, makes for an easy way to freeze the stuffed shells, heat, and less clean up.