Veal Stuffed Shells with Red-Wine Marinara

Tender, mild veal brings great beef flavor and juicy texture to stuffed pasta shells. Sure, you can use regular ground beef—or even ground pork or sausage—but if you find a decent deal on veal, go for it.

The simplicity here is in both the ingredients and the preparation. Chop up the garlic and shallot and use them for both the filling and the marinara topping. Use half the dried oregano in the marinara and the other half to sprinkle on top of the cheese before baking.

For the cheeses, I chose fresh mozzarella and shredded asiago. I like the way small pieces of the mozzarella melt into the hot veal to make a rich, gooey stuffing, and asiago has a pleasantly salty, cheesy bite that just plain tastes good.

Don’t fear the shells. Stuff ‘em—it’s easy.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 16 jumbo pasta shells
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more for oiling dish
• 1 lb ground veal
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
• 2 shallots, finely chopped, divided
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces
• 1-1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese

Diced Mozzarella

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Cook the shells in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, 8-9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the veal, 1/2 the chopped garlic, and 1/2 the chopped shallot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat, until just cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed, 8-9 minutes.
4. Transfer the veal mixture to a bowl and add the mozzarella, stirring until the cheese begins to melt. Set aside while you make the marinara.

Veal Beginning to Cook

Cooked Veal

Veal-Cheese Mixture

1. Remove any excess liquid from the skillet and re-heat over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and add the remaining 1/2 of the chopped garlic and remaining 1/2 of the chopped shallot. Sauté 2 minutes.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, and 1/2 the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool while you stuff the shells.

Garlic and Shallot

Tomato Mixture Added

Cooked Tomato Mixture

1. Lightly oil an 11 X 7-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with 2-3 tablespoons of the veal mixture and place snugly side by side in the dish. 
2. Spoon the marinara on top of and around the shells and scatter the asiago on top. Sprinkle with the remaining dried oregano. Bake, uncovered, until the asiago begins to brown, 30-35 minutes.

Stuffed Shells

Ready to Bake

Baked Pasta

Place 3-4 shells in each of 4 shallow bowls and serve right away.

Veal Stuffed Shells with Red-Wine Marinara