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Jumbo Stuffed Shells

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

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Yield: 14

Billy Parisi

Video

These amazing stuffed shells recipe is baked in a classic tomato and white sauce with delicious meat and ricotta cheese filling. Prep Time 1 hour, Cook Time: 90 min.

My first batch made at least 40. I froze half on a sheet tray and then they will go in a freezer bag.

  • 12oz box of jumbo shells
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 1peeled small diced yellow onion
  • 2finely minced cloves of garlic
  • 8oz loose Italian sausage
  • 8oz ground beef 85/15
  • 5oz baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 2TBS chopped fresh basil
  • 1lb fresh mozzarella, diced small (1/4-inch)
  • 16oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1½cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1large egg
  • 24-32oz tomato sauce
  • 1batch béchamel sauce, about 1 qt (see below)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Make the béchamel sauce (below).

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Boil the shells until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water, which takes about 8-9 minutes while gently stirring. Remove the shells from the water, chill in an ice bath and then spread out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and set to the side.

Add the olive oil to a large rondeau pot over medium heat and cook the onions until lightly browned, which takes about 10 minutes. Next add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add in the Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Make sure to cut it down into small pieces.

Mix in the baby spinach just until wilted and then transfer the mixture to a large plate and slightly spread everything out and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Once cool transfer to a large bowl along with the basil, ½ the amount of small, diced mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, large egg, and salt and pepper, and mix until completely combined.

Using a small spoon or a piping bag stuffed with the meat and cheese filling, stuff each shell until they are completely full. I was able to get 28 stuffed shells.

Evenly pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish until it is coated.

Next, randomly pour ¾ of the béchamel sauce on top of the tomato sauce. See Video.

Line up as many stuffed shells as possible over the sauces. You may need to cook some in a separate dish if they all do not fit.

Sprinkle on remaining small, diced mozzarella and ½ cup of grated Parmesan all over the top and bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top.

Garnish with optional chopped parsley or basil.

Make-ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking. You can however keep it warm covered in the oven at 200°F for up to 30 minutes before cooking. In addition, if you want to prepare everything, you can assemble everything if it’s cold and chilled and then refrigerate covered 1 day before baking and serving. Add 10 minutes to your baking time since everything will be cold going into the oven.

How to store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. You can freeze in the sauces or separate.

How to reheat: Add the number of stuffed shells with sauce to a saucepan and cover with foil and heat at 350°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

It is ok to have leftover shell pasta as some of them will tear in the cooking and cooling process. Feel free to discard or keep the leftovers after stuffing.

I had 8 shells that did not fit into the casserole dish, so I baked them in a small separate dish.

Béchamel Sauce

Yield: 1 batch
Billy Parisi

Learn how to make a classic béchamel sauce that is incredibly simple to prepare and excellent for sauces and pasta dishes. 25 minutes.

  • 1quart of whole milk
  • 2ounces unsalted butter or 4 TBS
  • 2ounces all-purpose flour or 6 TBS
  • ¼onion peeled but left intact
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1clove
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • salt and ground white pepper to taste

Add the milk to a medium-size saucepot over low heat until it scalds, see note.

Make a roux from the butter and flour and stir it in to the warm milk until it is completely mixed in and smooth and bring just to a boil to thicken and then turn the heat back down to low.

Next, make a 1” slit into the top of the onion and push the bay leaf into the slice and press the clove into the onion as well and then place the entire thing right into the bechamel sauce and cook for 15 minutes to infuse the flavor.

Add in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix in with a spoon.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer like a chinois or through some cheesecloth in a regular strainer. The sauce should be silky smooth.

Chef notes:

Make ahead: You can make this sauce up to 2 days ahead of time.

How to store: Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze the sauce as it will break when thawing it.

How to reheat: Simply place your desired amount into a small sauce pan and whisk over low heat until thick.

You’ll know it’s scalded if you tilt the pan back to yourself and see bubbles clinging to the bottom of the pan but not sticking to it.

If the sauce gets too thick when making it or reheating it, simply add a ¼ cup of hot milk at a time until it is to a thinner consistency.

You must wait for the sauce to boil after mixing in the roux for it to thicken, other wide it will remain on the thinner side.

Beef Flautas

Beef Flautas

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with Pico de Gallo & Lime Crema
Yield: 2 Servings

Surprisingly, Jed likes these. Simple to make and very tasty.

  • 1yellow onion
  • 2TBS Tex-Mex paste
  • 1Roma tomato
  • 10oz ground beef

For southwest spice blend:

  • 2tsp garlic powder
  • ¾tsp cumin
  • ¾tsp chili powder

For assembly & serve:

  • 6flour tortillas
  • ½cup Mexican cheese blend
  • 1lime
  • 4TBS sour cream
  • salt
  • 2tsp cooking oil
  • 1TBS olive oil

Prep:

Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with oil (or coat with nonstick spray).

Wash and dry produce.

Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion, mince a few slices until you have 1 TBS.

Make spice blend:

Mix garlic powder, cumin and chili powder in a small dish.

Make filling:

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add beef and spice blend, cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned, and onion is softened, 4-6 minutes. Stir in Tex-Mex paste and 1⁄3 cup water. Simmer until mixture has thickened and beef is cooked through, 2-4 minutes more. Turn off heat.

Assemble & bake:

Meanwhile, drizzle tortillas with 1 TBS olive oil, brush or rub to coat on both sides. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Once beef filling is done, add a heaping ¼ cup filling to one side of each tortilla, then sprinkle each with 1 TBS Mexican cheese blend. Roll up tortillas, starting with filled sides, to create flautas. Place, seam sides down, on prepared sheet.

Make sure the flautas are snug on the sheet—this will prevent them from unrolling. Bake on middle rack until golden-brown and crispy, 8-12 minutes.

Make Pico de Gallo:

While flautas bake, finely dice tomato. Zest and quarter lime. In a small bowl, combine tomato, minced onion, half the lime zest, and a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt.

Finish & serve:

In a separate small bowl, combine sour cream, remaining lime zest, and a squeeze of lime juice. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt.

Divide flautas between plates.

Top with Pico de Gallo and lime crema. Serve.

Tex-Mex Paste
6          oz can tomato paste,
3          cups water,
3          TBS vinegar,
1          TBS dried onion flakes,
2          tsp salt (or salt substitute),
2          tsp cornstarch,
½         tsp cayenne pepper,
1          tsp sugar,
¼         tsp onion powder,
1          dash garlic powder

Apricot-Sumac Chicken

Apricot-Sumac Chicken

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with Roasted Veggies, Lemony Bulgur & Almonds
Yield: 2

Tasty and simple. Sumac has a nice lemony flavor. Bulgur wheat? A lot like brown rice.

  • 1zucchini
  • 1lemon
  • ½cup bulgur wheat
  • 1tsp sumac
  • 1yellow onion
  • 1garlic clove
  • 1tsp chili powder
  • 2tsp better than bouillon chicken (BTB)
  • 25 oz chicken cutlets
  • 1apricot jam
  • ½oz sliced almonds
  • 4tsp cooking oil
  • 1TBS butter

Prep:

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450°F. Wash and dry produce.

Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise, slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half- moons. Halve, peel, and cut onion into ½-inch-thick wedges. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Zest and quarter lemon.

Roast veggies:

Toss zucchini and onion on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Roast on top rack, tossing halfway through, until tender and browned, 14-16 minutes.

Cook bulgur:

While veggies roast, heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Stir in bulgur, 1 tsp BTB chicken, 1 cup water, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until water has absorbed, and bulgur is tender, 12-15 minutes.

Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

HFA

Cook chicken:

Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels, season all over with salt and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Lower heat if chicken begins to brown too quickly.

Turn off heat, transfer chicken to a plate to rest. Wipe out pan.

Make sauce:

Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Stir in jam, 1 tsp BTB chicken, and ½ cup water. Simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in sumac, 1 TBS butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish & serve:

Return chicken (and any resting juices) to pan with sauce, turn to coat. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, thinly slice crosswise.

Drain any excess water from bulgur, if necessary, fluff with a fork. Stir in lemon zest and a big squeeze of lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Add half the veggies to pot with bulgur and stir to combine.

Divide bulgur mixture between bowls, top with chicken and remaining veggies. Spoon any remaining sauce from pan over chicken. Garnish with almonds and serve.