Tuesday, June 23, 2009

In the Kitchen: Cheesy Shell Lasagna


I've mentioned this recipe a few times and finally, here it is! I thought 
it was a little odd the first time I was cooking it but the results were surprisingly delicious and now I crave it. I'm not a fan of traditional lasagna, ricotta cheese kinda freaks me out, plus it's such a pain cooking those noodles, so this easy variation was perfect for me. You can modify the ingredients to suit your tastes (or make it meatless) and will find a link to a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook time: 40 min |  Serves 12

Ingredients:
1lb ground meat (beef or turkey, meat optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (I used minced garlic from a jar)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 jar (14 oz) meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup sliced mushrooms
8 ounces small shell pasta
16 oz sour cream
10 slices provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


In a large/deep skillet, brown the meat (I use half turkey and half beef), onions and garlic until cooked through. Drain well.


Stir in the diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, drain.


Place half the pasta in an ungreased 13x9 deep baking dish and top with half the sauce mixture. 


Next spread half the sour cream on top of the sauce and then 5 slices of provolone.


Repeat the layers of pasta, sauce, sour cream and provolone and add the mozzarella last on top. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.


Add a side salad and some garlic bread and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't gobble this right up. If you're a fan of pasta and cheese, I definitely recommend you give this one a try. I'd love to hear what you think!


You can find more easy and delicious recipes here.

17 comments:

noblegnome said...

This looks so good. Now I know what I am making tonight.

GUGAW said...

Ooh interesting, not seen anything like this before! And what a fab idea to do printable recipe cards!

Katherine said...

This looks/sounds great! I love lasagna but it's too labor intensive for me usually. :) Also - I love the idea of using sour cream. We usually use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I like the taste/texture of it more.

Jill said...

Holy moly that looks good!!

Aimee said...

This looks so yum!!

I will have to try it sometimes soon. Thanks.

Cheryl said...

can't wait to feed the family this! thank you!

Brenda said...

I will definitely be trying this - though I adore ricotta!

Kerry B! said...

OMG! My husband might actually eat this! Thanks for the brilliant receipe... we're having this for dinner tonight!!!

BlackCatMima said...

We had this the other night and it was SO YUM. Love the sour cream in there. LOVE.
We added bell peppers and zucchini as well. I'm totally digging into the leftovers for dinner tonight!

Anonymous said...

Just had to tell you, made this on Saturday. Easy to make, very full bodied and rich. LOVED IT! Was a hit with the company I had over and will make it again when relatives hit town. The leftovers are even better. Slices in pieces better than ANY lasagne I have ever made! Thank you ! I will be back again and again for these fresh and tasty recipes!

wende said...

OOh, yum! I'm sending this link to my husband. He does all the cooking and HELLO, that looks like dinner to me! :D

Melanie @ Whimsical Creations said...

looks and sounds yummy! Definitely going to try this.

Sherry said...

This sounds perfect!! Thanks for the recipe card too!!

virtuallori said...

Mmmmmmmmmm... I'm putting this on the menu for next week. I'm a fan of ricotta, so I'm a little skeptical of the sour cream substitution (although I do adore that, too), but I'm going to give it a whirl and see how we like it. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Definitely interested in the sour cream/provolone combo - it sounds incredible! I can't wait to try this!!

Anonymous said...

Can I make this the day before and refrigerate overnight?

lillyella said...

yes you sure can! You'll jut need to adjust the cook time and if you are able take it out of the fridge about an hour prior to let it warm to room temp. Not necessary, but will shorten the cook time.