Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce for Sunday Dinner

Stuffed Shells is a very simple pasta recipe for an elegant Sunday dinner. Your guests will think that it took more work than it actually did! Purchase two boxes of Jumbo pasta Shells, and cook them in a large pot of boiling water. You can choose to add salt or olive oil to the water before boiling.Use one and one half large containers of ricotta cheese,(40 ozs. in a large container), and half a package of shredded mozzarella cheese, (32 ozs. in a package), and a handful of grated Romano cheese for zip.Add some dried basil, parsley, and oregano. Sprinkle in sea salt and pepper. Mix well.Drain slightly under cooked shells in a colander.With a large spoon, scoop up some of the cheese mixture and fill each shell. Arrange shells in several quiche dishes or white glass serving dishes. Two boxes of pasta made this amount.Pour meat sauce over the shells and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.Meat sauce can be prepared prior to cooking the pasta shells. Cut up an onion and chop it into small pieces. Pour two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large stainless steel pot, and brown the onion.Add two large cans of tomato puree (each 28 ozs.) and one small can of tomato paste (6 ozs.). Fill each can 2/3 of the way up with water and pour into the pot. Cook down on low heat.
Render ground beef and ground pork in a cast iron skillet to make a really great tasting sauce. Drain both beef and pork after cooking well. Add browned meat to sauce.Flavor with dried oregano, parsley, and basil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Add fresh herbs if you grow them in the garden for a really wonderful sauce.