Description
Comforting baked pasta shells filled with savory ground beef and a rich tomato sauce, topped with melted cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 450 g large pasta shells
- 500 g ground beef (80/20 recommended)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 800 g canned crushed or diced tomatoes
- 70 g tomato paste
- 120 ml whole milk
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 240 ml beef broth
- 200 g shredded mozzarella
- 60 g grated Parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: red pepper flakes, chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells until al dente, about 8–10 minutes. Drain and toss with olive oil.
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef until deeply caramelized, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Add onion and garlic to the beef and sauté until translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, then add crushed tomatoes, beef broth, milk, Italian seasoning, and salt. Simmer for 8–10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Spoon some sauce into a baking dish, fill each shell with beef mixture, and arrange in the dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Broil for 1-2 minutes for a golden top.
- Let rest for 5 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
Can be assembled up to step 4 and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Add extra baking time if starting from cold.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 85mg