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Seashells stuffed with minced meat in a frying pan

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Ground Meat

A simple, delicious, and beautiful dish made from pasta and ground meat! Stuffed pasta shells are an easy dish that came to us from Italy, where pasta — the beloved everyday staple — is turned into a huge variety of dishes, including large shell-shaped noodles filled with all kinds of stuffing. This skillet version, packed with ground meat, tastes a bit like a homey pasta-and-meat dinner, but it looks far prettier and more elegant — nice enough to serve for a holiday lunch or dinner.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Seashells stuffed with minced meat in a frying pan

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pasta shells

300

Ground meat

300

Carrot

Onion

Tomatoes

Cream

Vegetable oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Fresh herbs

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 17 % 7 g

Fats 29 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 54 % 22 g

232 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 50 min

Step 1:

Gather the ingredients for the stuffed pasta shells. We'll simmer the meat-filled shells in tomato sauce; if you like, you can make the sauce creamy, add mushrooms, or flavor it however you prefer. Choose the large shell pasta — it's the easiest to fill. You can use tomato paste or make a fresh sauce from ripe tomatoes.
Step 2:

A mix of beef and pork makes the best filling — the dish comes out more flavorful and the stuffing stays tender and juicy. You can grind your own from fresh meat using a hand or electric meat grinder.
Step 3:

Wash, peel, and grate the carrot. Peel the onion and cut it into small dice.
Step 4:

Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stem end, and cut them into chunks. Purée them in a blender. Pour a little vegetable oil into a skillet. Heat it, then add the ground meat and onion. Fry over medium heat until the meat turns pale, stirring constantly so it doesn't clump.
Step 5:

Add the grated carrot and tomato purée to the meat, along with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir, then simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Step 6:

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the shells and stir right away so they don't stick to the bottom. Cook over medium heat until just al dente — the pasta should stay a little firm so it's easier to stuff.
Step 7:

Fill the shells with the meat-and-vegetable mixture and arrange them in a greased skillet. Any leftover filling can go into the skillet too. Pour the remaining tomato sauce and the cream over the stuffed shells, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the skillet over the heat; once the sauce comes to a boil, reduce to medium, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Step 8:

The dish is ready — sprinkle fresh herbs over the top. There should be sauce left in the bottom of the skillet; spoon it over the pasta as a gravy. Enjoy!