Homemade Stuffed Shells

Homemade Stuffed Shells

An easy but quick make ahead dish for dinner or company

Ingredients:
½ pound jumbo pasta shells
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion – finely chopped
salt and pepper (to taste)
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoon italian herbs
2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups ricotta – or cottage cheese
1 cup mozzarella – shredded plus more for topping
½ cup parmesan cheese – grated plus more for topping
1 egg beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 1 minute less than the package suggests. Drain and run cool water over the shells. (to keep the shells from sticking together, I added about 1 tablespoon olive oil to the water, and stirred them gently often.)

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, generously add salt and pepper and sauté until softened – about 4 – 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Add the beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. When the beef is almost cooked through, sprinkle the Italian herbs over it and stir in about 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce, then remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and egg – mix together well, then mix into the beef mixture.

Grease a 9″ x13″ baking dish and spread the remaining sauce evenly in the bottom. Spoon the filling carefully into each shell and arrange them on the sauce, then sprinkle with additional mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 25 – 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Mini-Cheeseburgers In A Biscuit

Mini-Cheeseburgers In A Biscuit

Ingredients:

1 lb. very lean ground beef

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt

1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion

1 jar (14 ounce) spaghetti sauce

1 tube (16.3 oz.) Pillsbury "GRANDS" biscuits cut into 

   halves  (l).

1 cup 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a skillet, brown beef with celery salt, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and dehydrated onion.  Stir in spaghetti sauce; cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 miinutes or until heated threough.

Cut biscuits into halves (l).  Form each half into a round and press into muffin cups forming a cup..  

Spoon meat mixture into the center of each cup.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle wih cheese.  Bake again for 3 minutes or unti cheese is melted.  

Serve:   Yield 8 Servings.

Spahetti ~ Instant Pot

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins

Instant Pot Spaghetti - The easiest spaghetti recipe ever! A quick recipe for spaghetti made right in the instant pot. Get a family favorite meal on the table even faster on busy nights!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound spaghetti noodles
1 (24 Ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
36 ounces water, 1 1/2 Jars
1 (14.5 Ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions:
Set the Instant Pot to saute' and add the ground beef. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings. Cook the meat and seasonings, breaking the meat up until it's completely browned. Turn the Instant Pot off. Drain any excess grease from meat if necessary.

Break the spaghetti in half and place on top of meat in the Instant Pot. Pour over the spaghetti sauce, diced tomato, and water. Push the spaghetti down with a spoon if necessary to make sure it is completely covered in liquid.

Seal the instant pot and set it to manual mode, high pressure, 8 minutes cooking time. When the time is up, use manual quick release to open the Instant Pot. Stir the spaghetti well. Serve immediately. Serves 6

Recipe Notes
NOTE: This spaghetti may appear to be a little liquidy right after cooking. Be sure to stir well to incorporate all of the liquid into the noodles before serving.

Pasta All'Amatriciana

The Secret Italian Sauce You 

Need To Make Right Now

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   When it comes to preparing pasta all’amatriciana, remember: Simple is better. There are many opinions about ingredients when it comes to preparing the dish today, and many chefs choose to add onion or garlic. However, the mayor of Amatrice emphatically states that this is not traditional, favoring only guanciale, pecorino, white wine, black pepper, chili pepper, and San Marzano tomatoes. It’s safe to say that he knows best!

Recipe: Pasta All'Amatriciana 

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

6 oz. guanciale (pancette or in a pinch bacon will do), cut into cubes

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)

1 28oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Salt

1 lb. spaghetti or bucatini pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino (or Parmesan), plusadditional for serving.

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté guanciale and red pepper flakes until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.

If using, add wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to gather any browned bits until wine is nearly all evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add black pepper; reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.

While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil pasta until just shy of al dente (1-2 minutes less than the package recommends). Using tongs, transfer cooked pasta and about ¼ cup of pasta water to sauce, stirring quickly until incorporated. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more of the pasta water.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. 

Wine pairing: Keep it local and look for a central Italian red to complement the bite of the tomato and spice: Cesanese del Piglio from Lazio, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Abruzzo, or Chianti Classico from Tuscany.