Quick & Easy Baked Shells w/ Tomato Basil & Arugula Pesto
Grab a jar of our Pretty Sauced Tomato Basil for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Baked stuffed shells will please the entire family.
I often reach for a jar of Pretty Sauced Tomato Basil because it is the easiest way to make a meal fast. Quick and easy dinners are needed during our busy weekdays, and baked shells are a family favorite. There are plenty of baked shell recipes; however, I use Cookie and Kate’s recipe the most. I promise that using a jar of Pretty Sauced Tomato Basil and a few scoops of Pretty Sauced Arugula Pesto reduces prep time and adds an incredible flavor.
The brightness of the Tomato Basil sauce balances the cheesy richness of the stuffed pasta shells. The Arugula Pesto mixed in with the ricotta is a quick way to add some depth of flavor, nutrition, and color. Plus, you get to skip a few of the recipe’s steps — like draining frozen spinach, which is no fun. Toss a simple mixed green salad with olive oil, a couple of lemon squeezes, salt, and pepper, and you have dinner in under an hour.
Step By Step
Set oven to 425 degrees.
Boil the jumbo pasta shells in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
Drain pasta and toss with a bit of olive oil.
While the pasta boils, mix 1/4 cup of Arugula Pesto with ricotta and mozzarella cheese, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and a dash of dried chili pepper flakes.
Check for flavor before mixing in the raw egg to ensure the seasoning is to your liking.
Pour about a cup of Tomato Basil into the roasting pan.
Add a heaping spoonful into each shell and place each stuffed shell on top of the Tomato Basil.
Add a second cup of Tomato Basil over the top of the shells, and sprinkle the remainder of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
While the shells are baking, mix up the salad.
Serve and devour.
Other Ways of Using Tomato Basil
lasagna
veggie chili
tomato soup
American goulash
baked burrata
meatball sandwich
pizza sauce
“Certain antioxidants, such as lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are more available to be absorbed by the body when a tomato is cooked. ”
The Underestimated Tomato Basil
Our Tomato Basil can turn anything into a quick and easy meal, so get going and start cooking. If you loved it, let us know! Tag #prettyprovisioned and #prettysauced if you share. Stay tuned for more Pretty Sauced sauce recipes for your next incredibly easy and satisfying meal.
Quick & Easy Baked Shells - With Tomato Basil & Arugula Pesto
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces (2 cups) grated part-skim mozzarella, divided
- 1/4 cup of Pretty Sauced Arugula Pesto
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
- 2 cups of Pretty Sauced Tomato Basil sauce
- Freshly grated parmesan and parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Set oven to 425 degrees.
- Boil the jumbo pasta shells in salted boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Drain pasta and toss with a bit of olive oil.
- While the pasta boils, mix 1/4 cup of Arugula Pesto with ricotta and mozzarella cheese, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Check for flavor before mixing in the raw egg to ensure the seasoning is to your liking.
- Pour about a cup of Tomato Basil into the roasting pan.
- Add a heaping spoonful into each shell and place each stuffed shell on top of the Tomato Basil.
- Add a second cup of Tomato Basil over the top of the shells, and sprinkle the remainder of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
- While the shells are baking, mix up the salad.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkling of grated parmesan.
- Serve and devour.
If you made this, love it and find it very pretty to photograph, please share on Instagram and tag us! www.instagram.com/prettyprovisioned