Collard Green Stuffed Shells

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 55 min
  • Active: 1 hr
I love a baked pasta dish, and this one is a favorite of mine. Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with a creamy collard green mixture and meaty tomato gravy, sprinkled with cheese and then baked up to bubbly perfection. It's great as a one-dish meal!
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Ingredients

Stuffed Shells:

Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish

One 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 cups shredded collards, blanched and squeezed dry

1 pound ground chuck (80/20)

One 8-ounce package ground country sausage

2 teaspoons Miss Brown’s House Seasoning, recipe follows

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Vidalia onion, finely diced

2 cups shredded Asiago cheese

Tomato Gravy:

1/2 cup dry white wine

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch granulated sugar

Miss Brown’s House Seasoning:

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. For the stuffed shells: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Cook the pasta shells in salted water to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture smells nutty. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the collards. Set aside.
  4. Cook the ground beef, sausage, House Seasoning, garlic and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the meat mixture with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving the drippings in the skillet.
  5. For the tomato gravy: Deglaze the drippings in the skillet with the wine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper and sugar. Return the meat mixture to the skillet and stir until combined.
  6. Spoon some of the meat gravy on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange the shells in the baking dish. Stuff the shells with the meat gravy and top evenly with the creamed collards. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, then increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 12 more minutes.

Miss Brown’s House Seasoning:

  1. Stir together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Stacy Shugar

This was absolutely amazing! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!!! Do not shy away from this recipe due to the collard greens. The creamy sauce is unique, to the greens, and makes this recipe a party in your mouth. We have a friend, who is a chef, and he was blown away by this meal. Everyone was “humming” with every bite! The flavor is incredible! Can’t wait to make this again!

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