Sloppy Philly Stuffed Shells take all the flavors of a Philly Cheesesteak and pack them into a jumbo shell.
SLOPPY PHILLY STUFFED SHELLS
Philly cheesesteaks come from, you guessed it, Philidelphia. However, some folks with roots in Pennsylvania will also claim this fame. Penny Cheesesteak just doesn’t have the same ring to it, but that is just me. Regardless of where it came from, the basic structure of this epic sandwich was crispy beef, onions, and cheese in a loaf bread. Variations of this popped up all over, and I jumped in with the Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes and now with these Sloppy Philly Stuffed Shells. The main difference between the stuffed shells version and the regular version is the use of ground beef. A traditional Philly Cheesecake recipe will use steak like rib-eye or top round steaks. But, I kept the onions and the cheese, of course!
SLOPPY PHILLY STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE
As I mentioned, the main difference between this shells recipe and a traditional Philly cheesesteak sandwich is the choice of meat, and the shell replacing the bread, of course. I stuck with the provolone cheese because of its mild taste. American cheese is also a popular choice for the Philly cheesesteak recipe.
Ingredients
- Jumbo shells
- Lean ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Green bell pepper
- Ground mushrooms
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Corn starch
- Beef broth
- Provolone cheese
- Scallion
HOW TO MAKE SLOPPY PHILLY STUFFED SHELLS
It’s all about cooking the jumbo shells al dente and making the beef mixture to fill the shells. And, of course, you can’t leave out the cheese in a Philly Cheesesteak recipe!
To make the stuffing for the perfectly cooked shells, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After it is no longer pink, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Leaving the fat in the pan, turn down the heat to medium and add in the onion, bell pepper, and mushroom. Cook until softened. Then, add the cooked ground beef back into the skillet. Stir in the ketchup, Worchestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Let this all cook while you prepare the slurry.
HOW TO PREPARE THE SLURRY
A slurry in cooking is a mixture of starch and water that is combined and used to thicken a sauce or soup. You can use cornstarch, flour, potato starch, or arrowroot as the starch. In the Sloppy Philly Stuffed Shells, I combined cornstarch with beef broth to make the slurry. You need to mix the cornstarch and broth in a separate bowl until smooth before adding it to the beef mixture. If you simply add the starch, you will only get clumps and it will not serve the purpose. Once the slurry is smooth, add it to the beef mixture that is cooking in the skillet. Bring it all to a boil until most of the liquid has evaporated.
It’s finally time to stuff the shells. Make sure the shells have had some time to cool after you drained them. Put a spoonful of the beef mixture into each shell, placing them in a 9×13-inch greased baking pan. Top them with the shredded provolone cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Top with scallions for some extra crunch if desired.
Ingredients
- 25-30 jumbo shells, cooked al dente
- 1 pound (453.6g) lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 8 ounces (226.8g) brown mushrooms, minced
- 2 tablespoons (34g) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon (17g) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons (3g) Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, for slurry
- 1 cup (240g) beef broth, for slurry
- 1 cup Provolone cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons scallion, diced (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef until no longer pink, breaking up large crumbles with the back of a wooden spoon. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a paper towel-lined plate.
Reduce the heat to medium.
To the fat still in the skillet, add the onion, bell pepper, and mushroom. Cook until softened. Stir the beef back in with the vegetables.
Stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Let cook while preparing the slurry. Prepare the slurry by stirring the cornstarch with the broth in a small bowl until smooth. Pour into the skillet and mix to combine. Allow the mixture to boil until most of the liquid evaporates.
Stuff mixture into the cooked shells and place in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Top with shredded provolone cheese.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
Top with scallions (optional).
