Easiest Way to Cook Tasty Unstuffed Shells

Unstuffed Shells. Enjoy all the flavors of the classic baked pasta dish while eliminating the time-consuming step of stuffing large individual shells. Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells. Unstuffed Shells is an easy spin on the Italian classic, Stuffed Shells!

Here's the saucy, creamy deliciousness of stuffed pasta shells—without the hassle of stuffing them and with the convenience of make-ahead preparation. The only modification is that you'll want to leave out the salt. At the same time, you'll want to brown the ground beef in a large skillet. You can have Unstuffed Shells using 14 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Unstuffed Shells

1. It's 4 cups of basic sized shell pasta.
2. You need 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
3. It's 1/2 of yellow onion, diced.
4. Prepare 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
5. You need 1 lb. of ground beef (or turkey or sausage).
6. It's 1 can (28 oz.) of unsalted crushed tomatoes.
7. Prepare 1 can (14 oz.) of unsalted diced tomatoes.
8. You need 1 tsp. of each dried basil, brown sugar.
9. Prepare 1/2 tsp. of salt, Italian seasoning.
10. Prepare 1/4 tsp. of each dried oregano, pepper.
11. It's 2 of heaping cups spinach, chopped.
12. Prepare 8 oz. of ricotta cheese.
13. You need 1 cup of freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided.
14. You need 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Why go through all the work of stuffing your shells when you can just let them stuff themselves? This simple, mess-free and hassle-free recipe is BOMB. Ingredients The Shells: With our Unstuffed Shells Casserole, you don't have to go through any of that trouble and you still get the same comforting flavor you want out of the deal. This recipe pairs shells with a ricotta, cream cheese, sour cream, and Parmesan filling and a meaty red sauce and bakes it all together.

Unstuffed Shells step by step

1. Begin by cooking the shell pasta according to package directions. Then drain the shells, return them to the pot and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13" baking pan with foil and grease it. Set this aside also..
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the onion and beef and cook, stirring often and breaking up the meat as it cooks, until it is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat out..
3. Add the garlic to the cooked beef and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Then add the crushed tomato, diced tomato, brown sugar and all seasonings, along with the spinach. Once the spinach wilts, remove it from the heat..
4. Pour the beef mixture into the pot with the drained shells. Add in the ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and stir it all together..
5. Pour the shell mixture into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan evenly over the top and cover with a piece of foil..
6. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the top foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes, until everything is heated through and the cheese is golden. Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftovers..

This Unstuffed Shells Casserole is all the flavors of stuffed shells without all the work. This can be made ahead of time and even frozen for an easy dinner. Unstuffed Spicy Tomato Basil Shells with Whipped Ricotta…not your average stuffed pasta shell recipe. Nope, these jumbo shells are unstuffed. Then tossed in a slightly spicy, herby, tomato sauce and served over a bed of creamy whipped ricotta.