italian essentials: sausage stuffed pasta shells
Most pasta shell recipes are stuffed with cheese, but I thought that I would take it to the next level by using sausage & cheese, and a few other bits and bobs to make them yummy. Actually, this recipe is quite versatile, and you can choose to stuff the shells with any of your favorite ingredients. As a matter of fact, you can choose to serve these as a meal, or individually as appetizers. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
yield
2 serving(s)
prep time
20 Min
cook time
30 Min
method
Bake
Ingredients For italian essentials: sausage stuffed pasta shells
- PLAN/PURCHASE
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6 ozitalian sausage
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1/4 mdyellow onion, finely diced
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1 clovegarlic, minced
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1 Tbsptomato paste
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2 Tbspparmesan cheese, freshly grated
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2 Tbspsweet butter, unsalted
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1/4 cbreadcrumbs, panko variety
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1/2 cpasta sauce
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12 lgpasta shells, jumbo
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4 ozmozzarella, freshly shredded
How To Make italian essentials: sausage stuffed pasta shells
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1PREP/PREPARE
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2Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
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3Place the Italian sausage in a sauté pan over medium heat.
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4Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage, and cook until the pink is gone.
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5Chef’s Note: If your Italian sausage has an abundance of grease, drain the excess grease before proceeding.
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6Add the diced onion, and continue to cook until the onion softens, about 6 – 8 minutes.
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7Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
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8Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste.
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9Stir to combine.
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10Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese, and reserve in a separate bowl.
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11Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350f (175c).
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12Cook the pasta shells in boiling, salted water, according to package directions, until al dente.
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13Wipe out the pan, and add the butter over medium heat.
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14Add the breadcrumbs and cook until golden brown.
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15Remove from the pan from the heat and reserve.
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16Add the pasta sauce to an ovenproof baking dish.
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17Carefully stuff the shells with the sausage/onion mixture.
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18Place them into the dish with the tomato sauce.
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19Add the shredded mozzarella, and then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.
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20Place in the preheated oven, and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 25 – 30 minutes.
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21PLATE/PRESENT
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22Finish by sprinkling a bit of freshly grated Parmesan over the top, and serve while still nice and warm. Enjoy.
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23Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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