Don't Eat This: Stuffed Shells

Overall Rating: 4/10 Edible, but not memorable or exciting.

Problem #1: We couldn’t find a recipe we agreed on for making this dish, so we decided to combine Internet recipes and the one from the back of the Shell box. Sticking to an entirely scripted menu or to an entirley improvised one works best. Mixing and matching is not easy and some essential elements of one or the other end up being sacrificed.

Problem #2: Despite writing it on TWO separate shopping lists, we forgot (whoops) to get the Mozzarella Cheese. We used fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and Ricotta Cheese. I think that the cheese stuffing we used would have been thicker and easier to manipulate with the additional cheese.----- Sub-complaint: Typing these Italian words into my browser changed my default language to Italian. Be warned

Problem #3: Messy. Getting the stuffing into the shells was messy. All I did was place the shells into the dish/sauce and my hands were covered in sauce. Putting the stuffing into the shells required patience and precision with a spoon. I can’t imagine how difficult this would have been to do on my own.

Problem #4: Taste. My sous chef really likes adding onion and bacon to most pasta dishes, so we did it this time. They took away from the cheesiness but helped make up for our missing ingredient in size. The onion was mild and so were the cheeses. The bacon came through well but it was a very mild dish. It wasn’t even sweet or salty.

Problem #5: It was better the next day. On Day 2 of Stuffed Shells they held together better. I don’t know how much of this came from the new consistency, but there was a more evident pepper flavor. When I put in almost an hour of cooking and prep time, I want a dish that will be excellent as soon as it comes out of the oven/microwave/pot as it is on Day 2 or Day 3.

If you decide to make this recipe anyway:
Get all your cheeses.
Be ready for a mess (or get help).
Use a chunky sauce to add texture.
Frozen stuff has about as much taste as this did fresh.
Add broccoli to the mix. This could have really used some fresh veggies.
Always use potholders.

-XY