I stole this recipe for Aunt Phil’s Unstuffed Shells from a cookbook called Come On Over: 111 Fantastic Recipes for the Family that Cooks, Eats, and Laughs Together. This tasty pasta recipe tastes just like stuffed shells but doesn’t require the extra work of stuffing the shells. Ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses are mixed with an egg, spinach and garlic. Then cooked and drained pasta is stirred into the cheese mixture. Next the rest of the ingredients are layered in a Dutch oven. Crushed canned tomatoes, pasta mixture and cooked sausage are alternated until the pot is filled. Tomato sauce is place on top and the pot cooks in the oven for 20 minutes before adding more mozzarella cheese and cooking for an additional 10 minutes. This pasta dish is perfect when someone wants the taste of lasagna without the extra work. Because who doesn’t want lasagna?
The ingredients for this recipe are: 12 oz box medium pasta shells, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 lb bulk Italian sausage, two cans (28 oz each) San Marzano peeled tomatoes, 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 1 cup freshly grated Parmigano-Reggiano, 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella, 1 egg, 16 oz package frozen chopped spinach, 1 garlic clove, dash nutmeg, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 6 to 7 slices whole milk mozzarella
Thaw and drain the 16 oz package frozen chopped spinach squeeze dry if needed to remove excess water. At this time, cook the sausage and set aside.
Then in a large bowl combine ricotta, Parmigano-Reggiano, mozzarella, egg, spinach, garlic, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
Next fold in the cooked and drained pasta.
Grease 3 ½ qt cast-iron Dutch oven with oil and spread about ⅓ of tomatoes across the bottom.
Then top with ½ of the pasta mixture and spread evenly. Distribute half of the cooked sausage.
Repeat with ½ of the remaining sauce and the rest of the pasta mix and sausage. Top with remaining tomato sauce.
Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Top with layer of mozzarella slices and bake for 10 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes before serving.
If you liked this recipe for Aunt Phil’s Unstuffed Shells then you can also try Million Dollar Spaghetti, Baked Ziti (Ziti al Forno), Instant Pot Italian Chicken Orzo or Balsamic Baked Chicken with Mozzarella.
Aunt Phil’s Unstuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 oz box medium pasta shells
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
- 2 cans (28 oz each) San Marzano peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigano-Reggiano 4 oz
- 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella 8 oz
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 16 oz package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 garlic clove minced
- Dash nutmeg
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 6 to 7 slices whole milk mozzarella 8 oz
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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Cook pasta, drain, set aside.
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Heat oil in 12 skillet oven medium-high heat. Add the sausage, brown, breaking up as it cooks, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from skillet.
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Place tomatoes in a bowl with juice, crush into chunky pieces.
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In a large bowl combine ricotta, Parmigano-Reggiano, mozzarella, egg, spinach, garlic, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon until smooth. Fold in cooked pasta.
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Grease 3 ½ qt cast-iron Dutch oven with oil and spread about ⅓ of tomatoes across the bottom. Top with ½ of the pasta mixture spread evenly. Distribute half of the cooked sausage. Repeat with ½ of the remaining sauce and the rest of the pasta mix and sausage. Top with remaining tomato sauce.
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Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Top with layer of mozzarella slices and bake for 10 minutes. Place under broiler for 2 minutes if cheese is not browned.
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Cool 10 minutes before serving.