Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella and Meat Sauce

• Meat

  • 1 lbs Ground beef, lean

• Produce

  • 1 Onion
  • 2 cups Tomatoes

• Condiments

  • 1/2 cup Pesto, store bought

• Pasta & Grains

  • 1 lbs Pasta shells

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 tbsp Olive oil

• Dairy

  • 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella, grated
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan

• Other

  • 4 5 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil

Found on vikalinka.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 lbs ground beef, extra-lean
• 2 cups/800 gr/2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ cup/ 125 ml store-bought pesto
• 1 lbs pasta shells
• 1½ cups/150 gr mozzarella, grated
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

• Heat the oven to 400F/200C.
• Cook chopped onion in olive oil over low heat for 5-7 minutes until soft but not coloured.
• Add ground beef and cook, stirring it the whole until no longer pink.
• Add, salt, chopped basil and canned tomatoes, bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stir one in a while and break up any large tomato chunks with a wooden spoon.
• While the sauce is simmering, cook the shells in a large pot according to package instructions. Its important not to overcook pasta but cook it al dente as it will be further cooked in the oven.
• At the end of cooking time stir pesto into the sauce and take it off the heat.
• Drain pasta and gently toss it with the sauce in the same pot the pasta was cooked in.
• Put half of the pasta in the baking dish and sprinkle with half of mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Top it up with the remaining pasta and sprinkle with more mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until cheese is golden and pasta is hot and bubbly.