Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, drained (from one 28-ounce can)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
- 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
- 6 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Oil a large baking dish (about 9 by 13 inches).
- In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
- Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pesto.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the shells until just done, about 10 minutes.
- Drain and toss with the sauce.
- Put half of the pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with half the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
- Repeat with the remaining pasta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
- Bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes.
cooking oil, onion, ground beef, tomatoes, salt, storebought, pasta shells, mozzarella, parmesan
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-shells-pesto-mozzarella-and-meat-sauce (may not work)