March 2, 2008 Meaty Pesto Pasta Shells

Easy Tastebud Delights

03.02.08 Edition (March 2, 2008)

Easy Recipes

45 minutes+

Hi Everyone and Happy Sunday to you!

Because I love pasta, this recipe caught my attention immediately. I've tried store-bought pesto for recipes before but will probably try my hand at making my own for this recipe. Enjoy!

Meaty Pesto Pasta Shells

1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 chopped onion
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups canned, drained chopped tomatoes
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
1 pkg. medium pasta shells
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large baking dish (about 9 by 13 inches).

2. In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.

3. Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pesto.

4. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the shells until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce. Put half of the pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with half the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

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