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Nothing screams NYC more than an old world, Italian baked pasta dish. There wasn’t an Italian home in the Bronx that didn’t have a favorite. I made today’s baked stuffed shells for two with my marinara sauce so I could enjoy it on Meatless Monday (something I try to embrace when I remember… LOL). However, if you want to load this up with a meat sauce, be my guest. That is totally acceptable and works really well with these baked stuffed shells for two.

I was lucky enough to get this Pee Wee’s Italian American Sunday Sauce recipe from a boyfriend’s mother – Pee Wee. (I know, what a great name! Her real name was Rose but her father started calling her Pee Wee as a child and it stuck.) She taught me this recipe in fear that her son might starve if I didn’t learn to cook…LOL. But it remains one of my favorite recipes and one I’ve been making for years. Haven’t met anyone that doesn’t love it. So be sure to try that recipe if you are craving a meat sauce.

No time? No worries. A great jarred marinara sauce will be just fine. Use your favorite but if you are looking for a recommendation, Rao’s makes a great marinara sauce.

Typically, I make huge trays of these shells for family gatherings, parties, etc. BUT, I had a craving and have been cooking for two, so I sized this down considerably making it the perfect dinner for two (with enough leftovers for one additional meal).

It isn’t hard to make, and if you are using sauce you’ve got stashed in your freezer (or the store bought jar), you can have this on the table in under an hour. Add some of my Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Bread and a big salad and you’ve got a great NYC Italian baked pasta any day of the week.

To get started, make the marinara sauce following the directions on the recipe. Otherwise, have the sauce of your choice ready to go.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook your jumbo pasta shells in highly salted water per the boxes instructions. Drain well and let cool until you can handle them.

Pull together all your ingredients to make the filling. I highly recommend grated your own fresh Parmesan cheese and grating your own mozzarella. Please use good quality cheeses…it makes all the difference in the world.

Mix all the ingredients, except the sauce parsley and one tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, in a large bowl until combined. One note on nutmeg. Using a handheld grater, I like to grate my own. It takes just a second and adds a ton of flavor…nothing that is obvious in the filling, but it definitely adds a little something to the filling. If you don’t have whole nutmeg to grate, yes, you can used canned nutmeg.

Using a large tablespoon, fill each each shell with a heaping tablespoon of the filling. Place them in the baking dish. Continue until all the shells and filling are used.

Cover the shells with my marinara sauce or your favored jarred brand. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of parmesan and the parsley. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until everything is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit five minutes.