Beefy Stuffed Shells is a family-pleasing comfort meal that’s great for weeknight dinner. Loaded with flavor this casserole is delicious.
Beefy Stuffed Shells
As the temps start falling our need for comfort food dishes starts increasing. There’s nothing like a satisfying family-friendly casserole to feed the family in the cooler months.
This fall (and spring and summer) we have a full house of mouths to feed. Like so many families we are home a lot more, eating in a lot more, and gathering at our family table a lot more. So that means a lot more meal planning and cooking.
With so many meals to make I incorporate a lot of pasta into our menu rotation. One such favorite dinner is Beefy Stuffed Shells. I make stuffed shells in a few different configurations but this one is probably in our top 3 favorites for sure.
Beefy Stuffed Shells is an easy to assemble meal that’s hearty, full of flavor, and easy on the budget. Serve alongside a nice salad and some garlic bread and you have yourself a comforting meal that’s perfect for the cooler weather.
This version of stuffed shells isn’t cheese heavy. What do I mean by that? Many variations have a large amount of cheese incorporated into the filling and sprinkled on top for a very amazing pasta to cheese ratio. Beefy Stuffed Shells is less cheesy and beefier. It is hearty and satisfying. If you desire more cheese than by all means load up some shredded mozzarella and add it in.
What ingredients do you need to make Beefy Stuffed Shells?
- Ground Sirloin
- Garlic Salt
- Pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Italian Seasoning
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Brown Sugar
- Tomato Sauce
- Shell Pasta
- Parmesan Cheese
Some tips for making Beefy Stuffed Shells:
- Cook your pasta al dente according to package directions.
- If you’d like to add a touch of heat, stir in a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the meat mixture.
- Cheese, if you want to make this a cheese lover’s delight. Stir in 1 cup of shredded mozzarella into the filling. For even more cheese, add a 1/2 cup to the top prior to baking.
- Try this recipe using ground turkey, it’s amazing.
Simple steps for making Beefy Stuffed Shells:
In a heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil. Brown the ground sirloin until it’s completely done, no pink is visible. Drain the fat from the skillet, and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly browned. Sprinkle the cooked ground sirloin with garlic salt, pepper, stir well. Add in the Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano, stirring to blend.
Stir in one can of tomato sauce, the brown sugar, and minced garlic. Turn heat to low and simmer.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook the shells, you want them to be al dente, a little firm. Drain after cooking.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Stir together, one can of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, Oregano, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar in tomato sauce and blend in spices.
ASSEMBLY:
In the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish, place enough of the tomato sauce mixture to coat the bottom of the dish.
Fill the cooked and drained shells one at a time. Stuff the shell with a heaping Tablespoon of the meat sauce mixture.
Place the stuffed shell in the dish on top of the tomato sauce. Repeat until shells are full. Spoon the rest of the Tomato sauce over the shells, and cover with Parmesan cheese.
Place the dish in the oven at 400° degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool prior to serving.
Interested in more weeknight dinner options, try these:
Hey, we all need more dinner inspiration. Let me share these too:
Beefy Stuffed Shells is a family-pleasing comfort meal that's great for weeknight dinner. Loaded with flavor this casserole is delicious. In a heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil. Brown the ground sirloin until it's completely done, no pink is visible. Drain the fat from the skillet, and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly browned. Sprinkle the cooked ground sirloin with garlic salt, pepper, stir well. Add in the Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano, stirring to blend. Stir in one can of tomato sauce, the brown sugar, and minced garlic. Turn heat to low and simmer. Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook the shells, you want them to be al dente, a little firm. Drain after cooking. Stir together, one can of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, Oregano, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar in tomato sauce and blend in spices. In the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish, place enough of the tomato sauce mixture to coat the bottom of the dish. Fill the cooked and drained shells one at a time. Stuff the shell with a heaping Tablespoon of the meat sauce mixture. Place the stuffed shell in the dish on top of the tomato sauce. Repeat until shells are full. Spoon the rest of the Tomato sauce over the shells, and cover with Parmesan cheese. Place the dish in the oven at 400° degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool prior to serving. If you like more tomato sauce than the recipe calls for, simply double the sauce recipe, and that should be plenty to coat the dish and top the shellsBeefy Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
Sauce
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE:
ASSEMBLY:
Notes
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