Giving Props and Italian Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
- 20–22 Jumbo Stuffed Shells (~1/2 a box)
- 8 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded (reserved for end)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese plus an additional 2 tablespoon reserved for end
- 1 tablespoon parsley Flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups Italian Gravy or prepared marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Boil shells according to the directions on the package. Set aside to drain.
- While the shells are draining, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, parsley and pepper. Combine well.
- Ladle 1 1/2 – 2 cups of the Italian Gravy into the bottom of a baking dish. For this I used a 10” round ceramic tart pan (non-removable bottom – don’t want it to leak).
- Spread the sauce around. You want about a 1/2-3/4” thick layer.
- Gently cup a shell in your hand opening the shell up.
- Fill each shell with the cheese mixture. You can add as much as you like depending on your cheese obsession. For this recipe I added about 1 1/2 -2 rounded tablespoons .
- Nestle each stuffed shell side by side into the sauce. You don’t want it jammed in there but you want to ensure each one can stand up without falling over.
- Take the remaining sauce and drizzle over top of the shells.
- Cover with foil and set the pan on a cookie sheet before you put it into the oven. *note – see freezing instructions below
- Bake for 25 minutes then remove the foil.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Put it back into the oven uncovered for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Garnish with fresh oregano.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes then serve.
Notes
*Note: At this point, you could freeze the pan. Double wrap in plastic wrap then foil. To reheat, remove the wrappings and place into a cold oven. Turn the temp to 350 and bake for about 40-45 minutes.