Happy New Year! It’s been a bit since I’ve posted – life, I guess. But I’m back! This Christmas, like last year, we spent at home. I wanted to make a pasta dish for dinner but craved something different that we have never had before. I was going to make a lasagna, but being that it was just the 4 of us, I didn’t want to have a ton of leftovers, especially because we were cooking a big meal for Christmas. My husband thought of the idea to use the meat that we make for our Spanish lasagna and put it in stuffed shells. It was delicious!!
I am going to be honest here…I have never been a big fan of ricotta cheese – no offense to all my cheese lovers! I love stuffed shells but found most recipes include ricotta. So with the hubby’s help, we created this spin on stuffed shells that is perfect for all the meat lovers out there. I hope you like it!
Ingredients
1 box large pasta shells
1 packet chicken bouillon
1 packet Sazon Caldo de Jamon seasoning
3/4 lb ground beef
Jar of your favorite Pasta sauce – I used Rao’s
4 oz tomato sauce
1 ladle of Sofrito
1 tbsp Adobo seasoning
1 packet of Sazon con Achiote Seasoning
1 packet of Sazon Ajo con Cebolla Seasoning
1 bag of finely shredded mozzarella cheese
Preparations
- Place ground beef in a pot and fill with water covering ground beef.
2. Put in all packets of seasonings, ladle of Sofrito, adobo, tomato sauce and stir well.
3. Boil ground beef until the beef is brown and “dry”. Every so often scoop out the grease that rises to the top. It will take about 30-40 minutes.
4. When ground beef is almost done, put on a pot to boil water and add a tablespoon of oil to help keep the shells from sticking together. Cook shells according to directions on the box.
5. In a baking dish, pour some pasta sauce on the bottom and then put cooked shells on top.
6. Using a small spoon, add in the meat to the shells, stuffing generously.
7. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.
8. Add the rest of pasta sauce on top and around the shells.
9. Cover with aluminum foil & place in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.
10. Enjoy!
This is a meaty take on a classic pasta dish that can be enjoyed any day of the week. I am confident that once you try it, it will be in your meal planning rotation – especially on these dark, cold nights of winter! Check out my Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
