Recipe Background
Well, isn't this just a delightful spin on the classic pasta bake? Charming Casserole will dazzle you from the start by stuffing tender jumbo pasta shells with a creamy, tangy, savory cream filling with bites of pork mixed in. Coating it on all sides is a surprising combination: rich marinara sauce and smoky-sweet barbeque sauce. Yet that's just part of the charm of Charming Casserole: you'll be stunned and swooning over the enchanting flavor!
Well, isn't this just a delightful spin on the classic pasta bake? Charming Casserole will dazzle you from the start by stuffing tender jumbo pasta shells with a creamy, tangy, savory cream filling with bites of pork mixed in. Coating it on all sides is a surprising combination: rich marinara sauce and smoky-sweet barbeque sauce. Yet that's just part of the charm of Charming Casserole: you'll be stunned and swooning over the enchanting flavor!
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells uncooked
- 1 pound smoked pork chopped
- 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley divided
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup bottled barbeque sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water until al dente according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta shells and transfer them to a baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes.
- Stir together the smoked pork, the ricotta cheese, the breadcrumbs, the garlic, the salt, the pepper, the red pepper, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the parsley in a large bowl.
- Stir together the marinara and the barbeque sauce in a bowl.
- Spread 1 3/4 cups of the marinara mixture in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Fill each cooled shell with 2 heaping tablespoons of the pork mixture.
- Arrange the shells in the prepared baking dish.
- Pour the remaining 2 cups of the marinara mixture over the shells.
- Sprinkle the shells with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until heated through.
- Uncover the baking dish and continue to bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.
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