stuffed shells

This is what my hands looked like while I was making dinner last night. So content. Try to ignore the chipped nail polish ;). Charlie came for dinner last night so I decided to make his favorite.. stuffed shells. It's super simple but a little tedious stuffing all those shells. Worth it though because all the cheesy warmth makes it such a good comfort food.

While your shells boil, get your cheese mixture together.


Take a heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture and stuff the shells. This part gets a little messy. I think I might try piping the cheese in sometime. It'll be neater and probably even quicker. Worth a shot!


When they're all lined up in the baking dish, pour your cheese and sauce mixture all over the shells.


Pop it in the oven. Have some wine and bread with pesto while you wait. I told you we like pesto around here. :)

When it comes out of the oven it'll be all bubbly and hot. Scoop out some shells and serve with some crusty bread. (And more pesto.)


So good. Perfect for a cold winter night. We're having "winter weather" warnings here again for tonight. Wonder how much we'll get this time!


Stuffed Shells
recipe adapted from allrecipes

12oz large shell pasta
2 eggs, beaten
32oz ricotta cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp dry parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 28oz jar pasta sauce

Cook shells for 8 minutes. They should be al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Preheat oven to 350F. Fill shells with a heaping spoonful of cheese mixture. Line them up in a greased baking dish. When all the shells are stuffed and lined up, mix pasta sauce with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Pour over shells, covering them completely. Bake for 45-60 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of white.


Now I have to go do some reading for class tonight. It's so weird to say that again!