Ricotta Meatball Stuffed Pasta is a perfect weeknight meal that will make everyone happy. The meatballs cook inside the pasta so this recipe is very easy and flavorful!
This recipe came about because my local grocery store had a tub of ricotta marked down for immediate sale. It was to expire in 2 days so I went home and made this. I knew I wanted to stuff pasta with it and also wanted something with ground beef, sometimes when you make something on the fly and it turns out better than you could have imagined. This is now a classic in my house that is requested regularly.
The star of the show is the ricotta meatballs, it’s so fast to come together. Stuff pasta shells with the mixture and cover with your favorite pasta sauce. I made creamy vodka sauce but you can definitely use your favorite jarred pasta sauce.
Ricotta Meatball Stuffed Pasta is complete when paired with a nice Italian salad and some garlic bread to soak up all the sauce. The whole family will agree on this one. Enjoy!
Ricotta Meatball Stuffed Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lbs Lean Ground Beef
- 1 slice Stale Bread torn into small chunks
- 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 4 Garlic Cloves crushed
- Black Pepper to taste
- 16 Large Pasta Shells
- Vodka Sauce or your favorite pasta sauce
- 1 cup Mozzarella freshly grated
- ½ cup Parmesan freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil.
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, bread, ricotta, egg, garlic and seasoning by hand until well combined.
- Add the pasta shells to the boiling water for half of the cooking time on the package. Strain the pasta and lightly toss with olive oil so it won't stick together.
- In a 9x9 baking dish, line the bottom with your favorite pasta sauce. I like to make creamy vodka sauce for this but marinara is just as good.
- Stuff each shell with a heaping spoonful of the beef mixture and placed in the saucy baking dish.Once all the shells are stuffed, cover completely with sauce.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.
- Let stand for 10 minutes and enjoy!
