Stuffed Shells with 3 Cheeses

Mmmm, Stuffed Shells - a family favorite any time of year. Great when you need to feed a crowd too!

First boil 1 box of jumbo pasta shells (properly salted water please... add enough kosher salt so the water actually tastes salty - like the sea). Under cook the shells a bit so they don't turn to mush later in the oven. It's really important to cool these shells completely before proceeding. I do this by running them under cold water. I'll even throw in an ice cube or two. Then drain and move on to the next step.

In the meantime, gather all your ingredients together. Here I have my homemade sauce (or "gravy" as some family members insist on calling it), Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, eggs, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, and s & p. I didn't have any frozen spinach on hand today, but I usually throw a 10-ounce box of that in too (thawed and squeezed of course).

Check out my delicious homemade sauce recipes:

• quick weeknight marinara

• weekend san marzano tomato sauce

For the filling, mix the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and optional spinach together. Mix, mix, mix.... you don't want any bites with too much red pepper... or worse, not enough cheese!!!

Haha, that reminds me of the time my 2 year old son said to me (with the most concerned tone in his voice), "But mommy, if you die, who will buy me cheese???" (ah, the love of cheese). For the record, I was not dying. I wasn't even sick... it just randomly occurred to my toddler that I was the prime cheese provider, and he was quite concerned that his cheese provisions could very well be hindered at some point in the event I should cease to exist.

That 2 year old is now nearly 16, and he's still a cheese fiend. I literally have to hide the fresh mozzarella from him!

Okay, back to the stuffed shells...

Here is the filling all nice and mixed.

I usually place the filling into a large, disposable pastry bag, but since most of you probably don't have one of those hanging around, I'll demonstrate with a gallon size zipper storage bag. This will help you to fill the shells with slightly less mess. Note I said slightly - unless you have a helper in the kitchen to hold each shell open, you are going to get a little messy, so if you're brave (or desperate) enough to try this alone, do yourself a favor and use a pastry or storage bag.

Before we go any further, put a layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. This will prevent the shells from sticking to the dish.

Now, cut a fairly decent size hole in the corner of the bag and start filling the shells. See how large I made this hole? I probably cut a good inch off the corner of the bag. Put the open corner into the shell and squeeze to fill. The bag will help you keep the shell open. So much easier than trying to fill them with a spoon.

If you have any filling left over, just squeeze it into the gaps between the shells. Waste not, want not.

Top the shells with the remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and a sprinkling of dried parsley. IMPORTANT - place the baking dish on a sheet pan. Your oven will thank me later.

I like to use Reynold's Wrap Non-stick Foil whenever I make stick or cheesy things.  Nothing sticks to it.

Seriously, one side is printed "non-stick side" (the dull side). Put the non-stick side against the cheese and you'll never have to worry about the foil ripping all the melted cheese off your dinner again!

This is the side of the foil that was in direct contact with all that melted cheese. Look - you can click on the photo to see that there isn't one speck of cheese stuck to that foil. Not one speck! Great stuff!

And THIS is why your oven is happy you put that baking dish on a cookie sheet. You'll thank me too :). Mmmm, yummy. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Stuffed Shells with 3 Cheeses

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 box jumbo shells (not quite fully cooked - rinsed and cooled completely)

• 2 eggs

• 32 ounces ricotta cheese

• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

• 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese, divided

• 3 tablespoons dried parsley

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)

• 3-4 cups of your favorite tomato sauce, divided (try my recipes here and here)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large baking dish (like 11x15), spoon 1/2 of the tomato sauce; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and optional spinach; mix well.

4. Fill the partially cooked pasta shells and place them on top of the layer of tomato sauce in the baking dish.

5. Top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.

6. Sprinkle with dried parsley.

7. Cover well with non-stick foil and place baking dish on a sheet pan.

8. Bake covered in a 350F oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the shells are hot and bubbly.

9. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

10. Remove from oven and rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Oven Braised Pot Roast

Oven Braised Pot Roast - oh my goodness, it's sooooo good! It's a bit of work in the beginning, but then it braises in the oven for hours while you kick back and relax.

Start by heating a large heavy-bottomed oven-safe Dutch oven over med-high heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Season a 2 1/2 pound chuck roast well with Kosher salt and pepper on both sides. Brown first side for 4-5 minutes, make sure it gets nice and brown before you flip it. Don't crowd the pan or the meat won't brown.  Brown the second side for an additional 4-5 minutes (brown equals flavor!!!).

When both sides are nice and brown, remove meat to a platter.  In the same dirty pan, saute the onions - they'll loosen all the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan - Yummers.

Stir, and cook for about 10 minutes until the onions start to caramelize. Your house is going to smell amazing and your family will think your the best cook ever... which you are.

Now add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes until the smell drives you  and everyone in your house absolutely crazy!!!

Now put the chuck roast back in the pot, right on top of the onions.

OR, if you're making a double batch like me, put everything into a large roasting pan.

Okay, now peel and chop a bunch of carrots - I like my meat to carrot ratio to be equal, so 2 1/2 pounds of chuck means 2 1/2 pound of carrots. This is a personal preference, but you can use whatever amount of carrots you like. Today I was low on carrots - only had a 2 pound bag in the fridge so that's what I used. Feel free to throw in other veggies too - parsnips, red potatoes, etc.

Next add about 2 cups of beef broth (I used 4 for double recipe). You don't want to cover the roast with too much liquid, just enough to go about half way up the sides of the meat. Add a Bay leaf (double recipe use 2). Note:  I like to use beef soup base dissolved in a bit of water instead of using stock - you can do the same or use what you have in the pantry.  No biggie.

Cover and put in a 275F oven for 3-4 hours (shoot for 4 hours). The roast will be incredibly tender and the carrots will be cooked to perfection.  Mmmmmm.  If you prefer stove top directions, cover dutch oven and simmer over med-low heat for 3-4 hours.

Really bad lighting for this photo... sorry. Believe me though, it tastes amazing. Serve with mashed potatoes or a big hunk of really good bread... and don't forget to spoon lots of pan drippings over everything! Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• large, heavy-bottom casserole pan https://amzn.to/2SsUtCY

• large roasting pan https://amzn.to/2SzfbBk

• boos cutting board https://amzn.to/2SwuScd

• nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2SxyJFT

• beef broth https://amzn.to/2K8ST5F

• bay leaves https://amzn.to/2YkJuB0

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Oven Braised Pot Roast

makes 8-10 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pound chuck roast

• 2 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups beef broth

• 1 bay leaf

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large, oven safe casserole pan.

2. Season meat on both sides with salt and pepper.

3. Brown both sides of meat.

4. Remove and set aside; in same pan, saute onions until they start to caramelize.

5. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.

6. Return meat to the pan and add carrots.

7. Add 2 cups of beef broth and bay leaf.

8. Cover tightly and braise in a 275F oven for 3-4 hours.

9. Leftovers are excellent a day or two later.

10. You can freeze the cooked chuck with the pan drippings, but the carrots don't survive the freezing process very well... they turn to mush, so keep that in mind. Enjoy!

Notes

• Sometimes I add a tablespoon or two of chopped sun-dried tomatoes just before the whole thing goes in the oven - adds a bit more color and flavor.

• To cook on the stovetop instead of the oven, simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 hours.

adapted from The Pioneer Woman