Stuffed shells--> Depends on who you ask

I have also been asked for a recipe for stuffed shells recently, so that is the second recipe I'll be sharing. Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen. This one is intense ;-) (Again, this probably is off of a box somewhere. I claim no creative genius on any recipe on here...ever!)

Ingredients: jumbo shells, fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, mushrooms, garlic, artichoke hearts (or whatever else you want to stuff shells with), spaghetti sauce

Step 1: Boil stuffed shells in well, boiling water ;-) I like the ones pictured here:

Step 2: As the shells are boiling if you are quick (otherwise, maybe you should do this ahead), finely chop the garlic, mushrooms (I like portebella), and artichoke hearts. Theoretically, you can put in anything you want now..... like other veggies, onions, probably even meat, etc, but I'm sticking to my ingredients for now.

(Side note- I HATE peeling garlic...it takes forever, it flies across the room like it is from the movie the Exorcist, etc. So, I like to make my husband mad by spending $$ on pre-peeled garlic, like the one you see below...seriously)



Step 3: Saute the mushrooms, garlic, and artichoke hearts (or whatever else you choose) in olive oil (saute= put it on med/low on the stove in a non-stick flat pan with olive oil....or at least that's what I think saute equals). The more sauted they are, the better the shells are.

Step 4: DON'T FORGET THE SHELLS! When they are almost totally edible, drain them and set aside.

Step 5: Cut up fresh mozzarella. You can also use ricoatta cheese instead, which I hate (and therefore, don't use). I recently discovered that many people have NEVER had fresh mozzarella, which is a travesty. This is in the "nice cheese" section of most grocery stores. I get this kind at Hy-Vee:


Step 6: Put the sauted whatever you decide to use in a bowl with the cut up cheese. Mix it together.

Step 7: In a baking dish, pour spaghetti sauce on the bottom so it is covered. After moving out of Chicago and leaving my little grocery on Newgard that had the best bottled sauce ever, I have now found this at Hy-Vee (Sorrisos). Making my own sauce is way too advanced. This isn't watery and has good flavor (there are different kinds)





Step 8: Stuff the shells with the veggie/cheese combo. Put each shell in the baking dish (this usually results in a bad stuffing/shells ratio that results in some waste...)

Step 9: Coat the top of the shells with more sauce and shredded mozzarella.

Step 10: Bake it (covered) in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes... keep an eye on it. Everything is cooked, so once the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted, you are good to go.

Viola!!! (I promise to take a pic next time)