Baked Stuffed Pasta Shells
Last week I posted the recipe on how to make the most delicious Bolognese ragu. It was a recipe welcomed and appreciated by many of my faithful followers. I mentioned that the sauce is a base for many other Italian dishes, hence I am sharing this simple yet mouth-watering recipe with you. The full body of the ragu against the smoothness, creaminess and delicacy of the béchamel sauce and the sharpness from the parmesan cheese, elevates this recipe to celestial level. If you already have the Bolognese sauce portioned in the freezer then this recipe will hardly take time to prepare, 20 to 25 minutes for a dinner ready for the oven.
This is elevated comfort food. The imagination has not limits other than the limitations we enforce upon it. Think out of the box and follow the technique experimenting with different filling ideas and share with me a photo of your final dish.
Ingredients:
Yield: around 70 shells
Servings: 7
- 500 grams pasta shells
- 800 grams Bolognese sauce
- 1 recipes béchamel sauce
- 100 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
Method:
* Heat oven to 180 C fan setting.
* Boil the pasta shells according to directions on the packet, drain and wash in cold water to stop it from cooking further then toss with olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
* Coat the base of the baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil then hold the shell in the palm of the hand and using the thumb and index finger push the sides away to widen the opening and fill with 1 tablespoon of Bolognese sauce and repeat the process until all are finished.
* Top each shell with grated parmesan cheese.
* Top with béchamel sauce and more parmesan cheese.
* Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly golden.
Tips:
* The dish can be prepared prior and stored in the fridge until ready for baking.
* If you prefer the dish richer and oozier use shredded mozzarella cheese alongside the parmesan cheese.
Per Serving (excluding béchamel and Bolognese sauce): 330 Calories; 5g Fat (15.0% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 271mg Sodium.