Veggie Pasta Shells (Oamc)

Submitted by TishT

"As with all of us, I'm trying to get more veggies in my child. Here is one way to slip some in without them noticing?"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
• 10 ounces vegetable broth
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 28 ounces spaghetti sauce

directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and let cool.
2. In a large saucepan, heat broth to boiling. Stir in carrots, potatoes and onions and cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Drain vegetables well. (You can mash these up a bit if that's what it takes to hide the veggies!) Combine with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Stir in Italian seasoning. Fill each cooked and cooled shell with this cheese mixture.
4. Pour 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer on the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.
5. To freeze, refrigerate at this point until cold. Then wrap, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw whole casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake as directed below, adding 15-20 minutes to baking time. To thaw and reheat individual shells, microwave on 40% power for 2-4 minutes until thawed. Then microwave on 60% power for 1-3 minutes until hot and bubbly.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Reviews

[JillAZ]

Excellent recipe Tish! My kids all loved this. Even the 2 that don't usually eat sauce on their pasta ate this up! I did mash the veggies quite well and they blended in really well with the cheeses. My DS loved this so much he took them in his thermos for lunch today. I made this on a cooking day and filled the shells by putting the mixture into a large zipper bag and snipping off the corner. Then I could "pipe" it into the shells and it was a lot less messy. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!

 

[Ubalstecha]

Amazing recipe. I doubled it and was able to get 3 different meals out of it for my family. With leftovers for lunch. I plan to try and sneak other veggies into the stuffing later on.

 

[HisPixie]

Very tasty! We took the hint from JillAZ and filled up a baggie with the filling, snipped the end and filled the shells. That worked very nicely! I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth (didn't have any) but ptherwise followed the recipe as written. I didn't have to "hide" the veggies so next time, I'll add MORE veggies and maybe some spinach. Thanks for posting; this goes in the rotation!

 

[carseatcrazy]

Yum! We're making an effort to eat less meat, and my hubby loves Italian dishes, so this recipe caught my eye. I'm not a fan of your standard spaghetti, so stuffed shells sounded intriguing to me. We loved them, and will definitely be making them again. Thanks!

 

[WickedgoodMaine]

Love this. Wanted to freeze 1/2 but my husband liked it so much he wanted it for lunch and dinner - 2 days in a row! Easy, healthy and delicious.