Northern Italian Pasta Shell Stuffing

Contributed byJulie Whitt
Stuffed pasta shells on a white platter, filled with meat sauce and garnished with fresh herbs.

Ingredients

  • 3 pkgs. frozen spinach, chopped
  • 3 pound ground round
  • 16 ounce cream cheese, softened
  • 2 large onions, chopped (large! )
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pound pkg. jumbo pasta shells
  • 2 cup tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Yield: 10 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Instructions

Place frozen spinach in a strainer and run under hot water until thawed. Squeeze out all of the water and place in a large bowl. In a large sauté pan, cook the ground round until browned. Drain meat, reserving 2 tablespoons fat in the pan, and place meat in the same bowl with the spinach. Stir in the cream cheese until blended with the meat and spinach. Sauté the onions in the reserved meat fat until transparent. Transfer onions to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir to combine. Add Parmesan, salt and pepper; combine. Let mixture cool, then add eggs. This filling can be make up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350º. Cook pasta shells in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and cool to the touch. Stuff the shells with the meat mixture. Place shells in a large baking pan and cover with tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour. 

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