EMERIL LAGASSE SUPER STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
• Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together.
• Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.
• While pasta is cooking, prepare the following:.
• In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned.
• Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
• Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell.
• Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.
• If using ground beef, brown in fry pan, drain and add to pasta sauce of your choice.
• Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.