I usually make stuffed shells with chopped spinach and a mixture of ground beef and hot Italian sausage but the week I bought my ingredients, I couldn’t’ find a good price on the beef or sausage. As I walked around, trying to figure out what I could add but keep my price down, I saw the chorizo on sale for 99 cents and even though I had never used it in an Italian dish, I thought, “Why not?” I will say, everyone who taste-tested the final result, loved it! This is one of those recipes where you can use the basic idea and add what you prefer (ingredients), or use what you already have in the fridge…chopped broccoli, spinach or carrots could be added if you already have some on hand.
CHORIZO STUFFED PASTA SHELLS –
Prep Time: about 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes*
Serves: 4 for approx $9.91
*In our video, I say this meal takes less than 30 minutes….it actually takes about 40 minutes cooking time! (I was thinking of how long I cooked the shells in the oven and forgot I simmered the sauce for about 15-20 minutes.)
Ingredients:
- 6 to 7 oz jumbo pasta shells (I planned 5 shells per person and used about 1/2 of a 12 oz box)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1/2 large onion or 1 small, chopped
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 10 oz package chorizo
- salt and pepper
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Lightly oil baking dish and cookie sheet. Bring pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta shells to boiling water and cook till slightly tender (4 to 6 minutes, very al dente). Drain and arrange on cookie sheet, spreading out so the shells don’t touch.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet. Add chorizo, beef, garlic, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook about 6 to 8 minutes or until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. *Make sure you drain well or your dish will be greasy!
Wipe skillet out and add remaining oil. Add the rest of garlic and tomatoes (with juice) to pan and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
Stir about 1 1 /2 cups sauce in beef/chorizo mixture. Add ricotta and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Combine together.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon 1/2 of remaining sauce in baking dish. Fill shells with about 2 tablespoons mixture. Arrange in baking dish and spoon remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake until heated through and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.