Stuffed Shells with Homemade Marinara

Some nights I just want something new.  This week I have needed comfort food and to stay busy. It seems I always choose to stay busy in the kitchen. So, I got online and shhhhh, here's a little secret...when I want to try something new I always type in the name of the dish and then type Pioneer Woman after it in my search.  If Ree Drummond hasn't made it before, then I go to images and find one that looks like what I imagine my dish looking like and click on those recipes.  But, I have to say, I've never tried a Pioneer Woman recipe that I didn't like.  My love for her started when my sister gave me her cookbook a few years back.  Thanks, Melissa!  

Tonight, Ree Drummond's recipe for Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Meaty Marinara Sauce hit the spot.  I've never made my own marinara sauce so that was new and man, was it tasty!

You start out mincing garlic and onions to saute in some olive oil in your big cast iron skillet.  I use cast iron because I really love it. You can use whatever skillet you'd like.  Once those are fragrant, you add a pound of Italian sausage ~ we used the one from the butcher that's in casings and took it out of the casing before cooking.  Now add crushed canned tomatoes.  The recipe didn't call for it, but I added some fresh-cut basil strips too.  Let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  

Start boiling your shell pasta here for 9 minutes (super al dente) and then drain and rinse under cool water.  Now it's cheese time.  Yay!  Mix together your ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses with an egg, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.  Heavy on the salt and pepper here.  Trust me.  

Stuff your shells with the cheese mixture but be careful not to fill them all the way. You'll need them to close when baking.  My fingers look really short here.  But my nails are pretty, thanks to Lashawn Hubenak and ColorStreet.  I love how easy they are to apply and they instantly make me feel prettier!  Anyway, back to the cheese at hand.  

By now your amazing and wonderful sauce should be ready!  In a large glass baking dish, spread a layer of the meat sauce and then start placing the shells stuffed side down on the sauce.  

Now it's time to sprinkle more parmesan on top before putting it in the oven.  And who doesn't love more cheese?!  Yes, please!

Let it bake for 25 minutes at 350 ~ mine took a little longer so just keep an eye on it.  Y'all, this was so good.  We were talking about the marinara sauce again earlier today and we're going to make it again but next time with meatballs.  Stay tuned.

I was trying to get the perfect shot of a serving and it fell apart everywhere, so here's an imperfect picture of the finished product.  I'm working on embracing the fact that not everything has to be perfect all the time. :)