Beef and Zucchini Stuffed Shells
CATEGORIES
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1½ lb zucchini, grated
  • 1 jar spaghetti sauce (Barilla or Classico Tomato Basil recommended)
  • 1 package (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells (Barilla recommended)
DIRECTIONS
  1. Directions:
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the seasonings. Remove from heat, stir in bread crumbs, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Boil the pasta shells to slightly firmer than al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain the shells completely. Stir the egg and zucchini into the cooled beef mixture. Pour a little of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a deep 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish, enough to coat the bottom. Stuff 25 of the best shells (several of them will be broken, so just discard those) with the meat mixture and place in the baking dish. Pour sauce over the shells. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Background:
  5. These are inspired by my mother's spaghetti sauce recipe, which uses zucchini instead of onion.
RECIPE BACKSTORY
These are inspired by my mother's spaghetti sauce recipe, which uses zucchini instead of onion.