Pasta shells filled with ricotta and baked in a tomato meat sauce
 
Cook time
Total time
 
These ricotta filled pasta shells baked in a meat tomato sauce are a great Sunday lunch choice. I use beef mince but you can use pork mince or more traditionally canned corned beef.
Author:
Cuisine: Maltese
Ingredients
  • For the tomato sauce:
  • 2 tbp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely diced
  • 500 g beef mince (use either pork, a combination or even canned corned beef)
  • 1 large 700 ml jar passata
  • 2 cans chopped tomatoes
  • 750 ml water boiled
  • salt and pepper
  • For the pasta shells:
  • 500 g large pasta shells (I use conchiglioni pasta)
  • 900 g ricotta
  • 100 g grated cheese
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • small bunch parsley chopped
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • Additional:
  • 100 g grated cheese
  • 200 ml boiling water
Instructions
  1. In a frying pan fry the oil, onion and garlic for 5 min or until lightly golden.
  2. Add the mince and cook for a further 10 min until browned.
  3. Add the passata, cans of chopped tomatoes and some seasoning. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 30 min.
  4. While the sauce is simmering prepare the shells.
  5. Mix together the ricotta, eggs, cheese, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
  6. Fill the shells with the ricotta mixture and place with the round part of the shell down in an oven dish
  7. Preheat oven to 180oC.
  8. Add the boiled water to the sauce and mix. Pour gently over the pasta shells.
  9. Cook in the oven for 1 hr.
  10. When 15 min left are remaining place 200 ml boiled water over the shells and scatter the cheese over the top of the shells.
  11. Cook for the remaining 15 min. Check to see if the pasta shells have been cooked and if necessary place in the oven for a further 15 min.
Recipe by A Maltese Mouthful at https://www.amaltesemouthful.com/pasta-shells-filled-ricotta-baked-tomato-meat-sauce/