Pasta Shells with Minced Meat and Cheese in the Oven
Simple, unusual, affordable, and budget-friendly for everyday dinner! Pasta shells with minced meat and cheese in the oven are quick to prepare and easy for anyone to handle. This casserole looks bright and appetizing, is filling, and can easily feed a big family. Serve with greens, vegetables, or pickles.
Updated : 25 September, 2025
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
400 grams
Macaroni
400 grams
Ground meat
150 milliliters
Cream
150 grams
Hard cheese
1
Onions
3
Chicken eggs
200 grams
Tomato
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Use pasta from durum wheat. For the mince, take pork or a mix of pork and beef. Cream of any fat content will do.
Step 2
Peel a medium onion, rinse with cool water, and chop as finely as possible.
Step 3
Heat refined vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté over low heat until golden, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Step 4
Add the minced meat to the onion. Stir, breaking up lumps with a fork. Cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally Italian herbs.
Step 5
Boil the pasta in salted water until fully cooked (check the package for timing). Drain in a colander to remove excess liquid.
Step 6
While the pasta cooks and the mince sautés, prepare the filling. Grate hard cheese on a coarse or medium grater. You can replace hard cheese with low-moisture mozzarella.
Step 7
In a bowl, mix half of the grated cheese (reserve the rest for topping), three eggs, and cream. Stir until smooth. Cream can be substituted with milk or sour cream.
Step 8
Wash the tomatoes, pat dry, and dice into small cubes. You can substitute them with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste added to the meat.
Step 9
Grease the bottom and sides of a baking dish with vegetable oil. Spread ⅓ of the boiled pasta.
Step 10
Pour part of the egg, cream, and cheese mixture over the pasta.
Step 11
Spread the prepared minced meat over the pasta.
Step 12
Add half of the chopped tomatoes on top of the meat.
Step 13
Layer the remaining pasta on top. Distribute the rest of the tomatoes.
Step 14
Final step: sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Optionally, add halved cherry tomatoes. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for 15-20 minutes.
Step 15
Serve the casserole warm, though even cooled it keeps its delicious flavor. Enjoy!