Unstuffed Shells Pasta Bake
"This is an Italian classic made so easy!"
Ingredient
- 12 ounces medium pasta shells
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for cooking pasta
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce (such as Rao’s)
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
Direction
- Gather all ingredients.
- Unstuffed Shells Pasta Bake ingredients on a marble counter
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain well and set pasta aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees F). Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add ground sirloin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is lightly browned but not fully cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onion and 1 tablespoon garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Cooked ground beef in a pan with a red spatula
- Reduce heat to medium; stir in marinara sauce, and cook, stirring occasionally, just until beginning to simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Tomato sauce with beef in a pan with a red spatula
- While beef mixture cooks, stir together ricotta, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, egg, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined. Gently fold in cooked pasta until evenly coated.
- Pasta shells and ricotta mixture in a glass bowl with a spatula
- Transfer 1/2 of the beef mixture (about 2 cups) into the prepared baking dish, spreading into an even layer. Top evenly with pasta mixture.
- Pasta shells and ricotta mixture on top of the tomato sauce in a baking dish
- Spread remaining beef mixture over pasta layer, and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
- Unbaked Unstuffed Shells Pasta Bake topped with shredded cheese in a baking dish
- Cover baking dish loosely with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling around the edges and cheese is just beginning to melt, about 25 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese is fully melted and pasta is heated through, about 10 minutes more.
- Unstuffed Shells Pasta Bake garnished with fresh basil in a baking dish on a marble counter
- Remove from oven and serve, garnished with basil.
