There are nine people living in my parent’s house right now. There were ten before my sister went back to school. To say things have been crazy and hectic around here would be an understatement. Four kids, 3 and under. Need I say more? Because things have been so insane, finding super easy and quick dinners to cook at night are a must. I love this simple pasta recipe because it is easy, quick to make (about 35 minutes) and so delicious!

I was watching The Pioneer Woman on The Food Network the other day and she made this recipe. Mine is a slight variation of hers, but it looked so delicious that I wanted to make it for the family. I love trying new recipes and pasta recipes are always a slam dunk with the kiddos.

Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• Salt
• 8 Ounces jumbo pasta shells
• 30 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 12 leaves fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz. grated Parmesan
• 2 jars Ragu Marinara sauce
• 8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Boil your shells for half the time it says to on the package and salt the water. Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the cheeses and herbs leaving a little Parmesan and Mozzarella to the side for the top layer. Pour one jar of marinara sauce to coat the bottom of your baking dish. After mixing the egg, cheeses and herbs, fill the shells with the mixture and place them face down into the sauce. Once the mixture is gone, pour the remaining jar of marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle he leftover cheeses on top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until bubbly. Enjoy!

I made some garlic bread to go with our meal, but failed to make a vegetable which is on my list of improvements for the year, but what can you do? This recipe was a huge hit with my entire family. My dad even approved which is huge because he is not a fan of meat-less recipes. We all went back for seconds, so I guess I will be leaving this recipe in the mix.

What is your go-to dinner recipe?