Loading ...Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant I order one of two things, lasagna or some sort of alfredo. It is something I could eat everyday but am too lazy to make it at home… ever… it just takes too damn long.
So, in an attempt to decrease the time it takes to make lasagna (and because I stumbled across a post somewhere) I was going to do some sort of lasagna spin-off. Well, I couldn’t find what I was looking for in the store, and these giant shells were on sale so I decided to stuff them with everything that is in lasagna.
This did not save me anytime at all. Hell, I think it took longer than just making a real lasagna… but the end result was good enough that I didn’t feel it was a waste.
I can’t really call a post mine without there being some disgusting looking mixture of ingredients. This time, the mixture consisted of ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, and an egg.
The meat mix was half ground beef half sweet sausage.
Next up, I got the sauce rolling and started cooking the shells according to their box.
The sauce was stole from “The Worlds Best Lasagna” on allrecipes: onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and sugar.
As soon as I started stuffing these beasts I realized that I was not saving myself any time or effort… and there probably isn’t anyway to cut the time commitment down and still produce a worthwhile lasagna. Either way, get your sous chef to stuff these so you don’t have to… boring and messy.
But it was worth it because you end up with a ton of these things and they are awesome, you can fit so much of the goods inside one of these. For me it was the perfect ratio of cheese/sauce/meat… but I love my cheese, so you may want to keep that in mind.
Any ideas as how to make a worthy lasagna without having to spend 1 – 1.5 hours making it?
I think this looks heavenly! Beautiful and tempting enough that I want to rush into the kitchen and make myself some for the lunch!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted Fennel Potato Soup with Saffron
These look great! I put my shell filling into a plastic bag and cut the corner off and fill the shells that way.
That would be the smart way to fill these… I just went for the spoon and fail method.
Thats exactly what I was gonna say Jolene.
Lasagna roll ups….boil the noodles, cover with ricotta mixture roll up and put in pan. Much faster and just as good! Everything else you can do the same! (I use spinach in the ricotta mix and no meat so that speeds things up too not having to cook the meat. BUT this is a great recipe I’m going to do with the kids! They’ll love stuffing the shells!
Do you just use traditional lasagna pasta? I was going to try doing that but I thought the pasta wouldn’t be wide enough.
These look so good I’m thinking about making them tonight! It’s so cold here, I’m just not sure if I want to step out to grab the ingredients…
Regarding fast lasagna, the roll up idea is a good one and regular lasagna noodles work just fine. In fact, it ends up being a good way to portion control. However, I have made a recipe that was basically a lasagna, but not layered. I tweaked it a bit when I made it but the base recipe is pretty fool-proof.
http://www.food.com/recipe/skillet-lasagna-140322
I think I remember trying to make a skillet lasagna once upon a time. That recipe looks very familiar too… I’m a sucker for anything lasagna.
I love Barilla’s no-boil lasanga noodles. They save me 1/2 an hour of headache. I have learned to adjust by adding a bit more liquid (sauce) to the standard recipe, and it turns out great every time!
Skillet Lasagna! Yum. These were the best.
http://www.thewannabefoodie.com/deliciousness-of-the-day-62/
Alicia recently posted The First Resolution
Though I don’t have any lasagna shortcuts, these look so amazing I’d think they would be well worth the time! Just bookmarked the recipe – thanks for sharing!
You have noted that it requires 1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese?? Is it supposed to be 1/2 cup? 1/4 cup instead?
Not that I would mind a 1/2 pound of cheese
It is most definitely 1/2 pound of cheese. But, I didn’t have the correct measurement in step 5… it is now correct. Sorry for the confusion.
I am not pretending like this is a healthy lasagna alternative
… which is fine, just don’t eat like this everyday.
Chris recently posted Prik Pow Fried Rice
Where does the egg get added in? Read a few times, Maybe I missed it, assuming with the cheese mixture?
You assumed right. My apologies on the omission… it has been corrected.
I just made these! they were good, but I think I will make them spicier and meatier next time I make them.
My boyfriends favorite meal is lasagna so I figured this would be a great alternative to the norm. It was absolutely delicious, and really convenient for lunch leftovers. Thanks!
My kids can’t resist lasagna. Their favorite!
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Haha, yeah, lasagna is just one of those time consuming foods…but so good! Love this stuffed shell version, it looks super tasty! Plus, there’s just something so fun about stuffed shells!
sara recently posted Blackened Shrimp on Kale and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Andouille Cream
This looks good, even if it is a lot of work. For a fast lasagne, try this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/fastlasagnewithporka_83462such – it’s really good!
I have a problem with the shells being stiff and brittle after they’ve been baked. Is there a way that you avoided that by chance?
yumyumyum! just made these for dinner. very delicious and now i have leftovers for the week haha thanks!
I’m glad you liked them! Your post makes me wish I had more.
Double the recipe and freeze half…see time saved next meal.
So very good! Thank you..great sauce, great filling, the perfect amount of filling for one box of shells…the only thing I added was a litle provelone cheese..oherwise folled the recipe, it is a keeper!
Glad you liked them!