Noodles stuffed with minced meat in the oven. Stuffed shell pasta. Stuffed pasta in tomato sauce

Stuffed pasta can be cooked not only in the oven, but also in a pan. Using the second option, you can quickly cook lunch or dinner. I choose large pasta, namely tubules or shells. These products are quite dense, so they do not boil much.

For the filling, I use minced meat. If desired, it can be supplemented with boiled cereals, then the dish will turn out to be twice as satisfying. I fry the onion until soft, it gives the meat flavor. You can not add a raw egg to the filling. During the stewing, the minced meat does not float out of the pasta.

But for the sauce, I recommend taking fat sour cream or cream. Fermented milk product well softens both minced meat and pasta. At the end of cooking, sprinkle with grated cheese. And I serve stuffed pasta tubes to the table in a hot version. Since they are large, I cut them with a knife into 2-3 pieces.

Stuffed pasta tubules in a frying pan

how to cook stuffed pasta tubules recipe

Ingredients:

pasta (tubes) - 9 pcs.,
minced meat - 250 g,
red onion - 1 pc.,
onion - 1 pc.,
sunflower oil - 2-3 tablespoons,
sour cream - ½ tbsp.,
water - ¼ st.,
hard cheese - 45 g,
suneli hops - ¼ tsp,
salt - to taste.

Cooking process:

I prepare the necessary ingredients. It is better to boil pasta in water so that they become softer. Boil the tubules in salted water for 5 minutes after boiling. Then I throw them into a colander, rinse with cool water.

I take a red and an ordinary onion, peel it, rinse it with water. I cut the vegetable into small pieces.

Pour oil into a frying pan, put on medium heat. Pour the onion into the hot oil. I fry it for about 5 minutes.

I spread the minced meat in a bowl, pour salt and seasoning. Add the fried onion with butter to the meat, stir until smooth.

I fill half-baked pasta with meat filling. You can push the filling with the handle of a teaspoon or with your fingers. If desired, you can take shells, they are easier to fill.

Put stuffed tubes in a deep frying pan. Mix warm water and sour cream, add a small amount of salt. Pour sauce over pasta. Sprinkle seasoning on top.

Cover with a lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with a lid.

Serve stuffed pasta with herbs. The dish turns out hearty, it can be supplemented with fresh vegetables. The sauce soaks into the pasta, so you can serve it with your choice of gravy or dressing. Tomato ketchup is also suitable for serving.

Bon appetit!

Ninel Ivanova told how to cook delicious pasta in a pan.

stuffed pasta in the oven, the dish, at first glance, is simple. But how interesting, tasty and fragrant it is!

The best choice for stuffing are conchiglioni, resembling huge shells. Another type of pasta that is easy to stuff is canelloni. These are large hollow tubes. Filling them with minced meat is a little more difficult - it takes a little more dexterity and a more homogeneous mass.

Stuffed pasta in the oven with meat

Ingredients

conchiglioni - 250 g;
minced pork and beef - 0.5 kg;
onion - 2-3 pcs.;
garlic - 2-3 cloves;
water - 2 l;
parmesan - 200-250 g;
butter - 100 g;
ground paprika;
turmeric;
ground black pepper;
fresh or dried basil;
cream - 200-250 ml.

Filling preparation

Cut the garlic cloves in half, put in hot oil in a pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until the color darkens. Then put on a plate and let cool.

Fry the chopped onion over low heat until golden brown. Add minced meat and fry further 5-10 minutes. Stir the minced meat constantly so that the lumps do not stick together. Pour some water, add spices and simmer until tender.

Meanwhile, bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Cook pasta in it for 4-5 minutes. Please note that the pasta should remain half-cooked. Then we recline on a sieve and pour with melted butter. Gently mix the pasta so as not to damage their shape. Let's cool down.

When the minced meat is ready, it must also be cooled to room temperature.

Grease the bottom of a baking dish with butter and spread a layer of pasta over the bottom. Put the minced meat in each shell with a teaspoon and sprinkle with a little basil. Top them with cream, and then sprinkle with grated cheese. We send it to the oven for 25 minutes.

In order for the cheese crust to turn out soft, cover the form with a lid or foil at the very beginning of cooking. Remove the lid after 15 minutes. We serve pasta stuffed in the oven, right in the form.

Stuffed pasta in the oven with meat and mushrooms

We use canelloni pasta for this dish. They are a little more difficult to stuff, but much easier to serve.

Ingredients

canelloni - 250 g;
minced meat - 250 g;
champignons - 150-200 grams;
carrots - 1 pc;
onions - 2 pcs;
cheese - 150 grams;
sour cream - 50-80 grams;
cilantro or parsley;
salt;
ground black pepper.

Pass the chopped onions and carrots, remove ½ of the vegetables.
Put the minced meat and very finely chopped mushrooms into the pan with the remaining vegetables.

Stir and fry until minced meat is cooked, salt and pepper. Pour water as needed, but remember that the filling should be thick.
From the second part of the vegetables we prepare the sauce. Pour in sour cream and spices, and then simmer the vegetable mixture until tender.

Cook the canelloni for 3-4 minutes and rinse immediately. cold water- so the pasta does not stick together, and it will be easy to work with them.

We start with a teaspoon with non-sharp edges, so as not to damage. It is recommended to stuff loosely, as the tubules may burst during cooking.

In sour cream and vegetable sauce, crumble finely chopped greens.
We spread the tubes in a mold, pour over the sauce and bake for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. Sprinkle with grated cheese and keep in the oven until the cheese is melted (5-7 minutes).

Recipe for stuffed pasta in the oven with marinara sauce

Ingredients

large shells (conchiglioni) - 250 g;
cottage cheese - 250 g;
parmesan cheese - 100 g;
greens (spinach, parsley or dill) - 1 bunch;
garlic a couple of cloves;
butter.

For the marinara sauce

peeled tomatoes (with juice) - 300 g;
carrots - 1 pc.;
onion - 1 pc.;
cilantro (or basil) - 1 bunch;
ground black pepper;
white ground pepper;
salt to taste;
olive oil.

Boil the conchiglioni for 4-5 minutes. Rinse with water, pour in the melted butter and mix.

We are preparing the stuffing. We grind the cottage cheese, add 2/3 of the cheese grated on a fine grater, finely chopped greens and garlic. We mix the mass well. If the filling came out very thick, pour a little cream, sour cream or water.

Sauce. Saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes, then add the carrots to it and simmer the vegetables together for 5-7 minutes over low heat. We send chopped garlic there and sauté for another 2 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and add to the pan along with the juice.

We chop the greens and simmer everything together for another 40 minutes over low heat with the lid closed. At the end, salt, pepper, season. It makes a very thick and rich sauce. It can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

Lubricate the baking dish with butter, spread the pasta, fill them with curd mass. Drizzle with sauce and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the form with stuffed pasta from the oven, generously sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes.

Such common dishes as pasta with meat, naval pasta, quickly become boring, and this will not surprise anyone. If in Italy they eat pasta just like that, then we have pasta - it's just a side dish and it is necessary that there be something meat with the side dish. To please picky household members with pasta, you can offer unusual pasta shells with minced meat. This dish will appeal to both adults and children who are difficult to seat at the table. You can cook stuffed pasta in the oven, like baked cannellones, or simply cook them like in a regular saucepan on the stove or cook in a slow cooker.

Stuffed pasta recipes will help each of you understand how to cook stuffed pasta with the most different ways, with the addition of various additional ingredients. You will not regret if you master the preparation of stuffed pasta - after all, this dish is very tasty, and quite budgetary, and quickly prepared. So immediately read how and with what you can stuff pasta, and get down to business.

Shells stuffed with minced meat and cheese

Ingredients

Pasta shells 500 gr.
Minced meat 350 gr.
Cheese any 350 gr.
Greens 25 gr.
Olive oil 4 table. l
Tomato sauce 1200 gr.

Cooking method

In boiling, slightly salted water + 2–3 tbsp. vegetable oil, boil the shells until “al dente”, then drain into a colander and let cool.
Mix minced meat with cheese, herbs. Salt, pepper, add 50 gr. sauce and roll into small balls that fit the shells.
Fill the finished, cooled shells with prepared minced meat and put in a baking dish or a deep baking sheet.
Sauce to taste: tomato, bechamel or other. You can cook yourself, you can buy.
Pour sauce over and bake in a well-heated oven at 180 degrees. within 20–25 min.

Cannelloni with meat and bechamel sauce

Ingredients

Cannelloni - 250 Grams
Minced beef - 500 grams
Tomatoes - 300 Grams
Onion - 1 piece
Garlic - 2 Cloves
Hard cheese - 150 grams
Olive oil - to taste
Butter - 30 Grams
Milk - 600 milliliters
Flour - 2 Art. spoons
Salt and pepper - to taste

Cooking method

Grind the onion, quickly fry it in olive oil in a frying pan or saucepan. Add minced meat, finely chopped tomatoes and garlic. Simmer until cooked, adding all the necessary spices. Fill the cannelloni with the cooled minced meat and put the pasta in a baking dish. Prepare the bechamel sauce. To do this, first melt the butter in a saucepan. Add flour and mix thoroughly until smooth. Lightly fry the flour until it acquires a brown hue. While stirring, pour milk in a thin stream. Boil everything for 1-2 minutes - and remove the sauce from the heat. Add some salt and pepper. Pour in the prepared cannelloni sauce. We bake the dish in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 180 degrees. Sprinkle the cannelloni with grated cheese 5 minutes before they are done.

creamy chicken stuffed pasta recipe

Ingredients

Pasta - 250 gr.
Chicken fillet - 400 gr.
Butter - 40 gr.
Olive oil - 15 gr.
Cream, fatty - 2 cups.
Hard cheese - 50 gr.
Egg - 1 pc.
Cream cheese - 300 gr.
Curd cheese - 100 gr.
Nutmeg, oregano, basil, salt - a pinch each.
Garlic - 2-3 cloves.
Wine or table vinegar - 100 ml.
Olive oil - ½ cup.

Cooking method

Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces and fold to marinate for half an hour - an hour. The marinade is made simply: mix all the ingredients - vinegar, oil and garlic. Boil pasta, grate cheese.
Fry marinated chicken in olive oil for 5-7 minutes.
We make the sauce: in a separate bowl, melt the butter, pour in the cream, spices and let it boil. Throw cheese into the sauce and wait until it melts (over low heat). Set aside.
Also, separately, mix the curd cheese, spices and egg, and then add the fried chicken pieces there - this will be the pasta filling.
Stuff the pasta with the filling and place on a baking sheet, brushing it with oil. Pour cream sauce and put in the oven to bake at 180 ° C for 30 minutes.

Tubes stuffed with mushrooms - a recipe in the oven

Ingredients

Tubes - 15 pcs.
Mushrooms - champignons - 250 gr.
Onion - 1 pc.
Hard cheese - 120 gr.
Oil - 15 gr.
Dill, salt and pepper.

Cooking method

Chop the onion, cut the mushrooms and dill, rub the cheese. Weld the tubes.
Fry mushrooms with onions in half the oil (start with onions). When the mushrooms are almost cooked, salt, add dill and pepper.
It remains to add the cheese, quickly stir the mushroom mixture and sweat for a few minutes so that the cheese melts a little.
Fill the tubes with stuffing and put on a baking sheet, brushing it with the remaining butter. Baking time - 15 minutes at 180 C.

If the finished minced meat filling turned out to be dry, then you should add a little sour cream or cream to it.

Pasta stuffed with minced meat in the oven

Ingredients

Macaroni 1 pack
Minced meat 700 grams
Onion 1 large (150 grams)
1 large carrot (150 grams)
Semi-hard cheese 200 grams
Garlic 3 cloves
Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
Cream 10% 3 cups
Parsley greens 2 tablespoons chopped
Seasoning Italian herbs 1/2 teaspoon
Ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Cooking method

We make minced meat from meat.
Cut the onion into small cubes, chop the garlic finely. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable (preferably olive) oil and pass the vegetables, stirring constantly, until the onion becomes translucent. Let the vegetables cool down a bit.
We rub the cheese on a fine grater. You can use parmesan cheese, or you can go the budget route and take semi hard cheese like Russian or Dutch. I have two kinds of cheese this time. I rubbed Russian for the filling, and for the cheese cap - Parmesan.
Finely chop the parsley.
In a bowl, mix minced meat, 2/3 grated cheese, browned vegetables, parsley. Add salt and ground black pepper, seasoning Italian herbs. Salt (given the saltiness of the cheese).
Add half a glass of cold tap water to the minced meat, mix well. We start the tubes with prepared minced meat. Gently push the stuffing through with your index finger first on one side, and when the tube is half full, stuff it on the other side.
Lay them on a small baking sheet. Turn on the oven and heat it up to 220 degrees.
Bring the cream to a boil on the stove, add some salt.
Pour the prepared cannelloni pasta stuffed with minced meat with hot cream. The pasta should be almost completely covered. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven on the middle rack.
Bake for 20 minutes. Now sprinkle the pasta with the remaining cheese.
Add another 10-20 minutes to cook, that is, until the cheese is browned.

For cooking, you should use only special pasta that can withstand prolonged heat treatment.

Stuffed pasta in tomato sauce

Ingredients

500 g pasta;
600 g chicken fillet;
1 egg;
1 head onion;
a bunch of dill;
5 g hops-suneli;
30 g butter;
30 g of olive oil;
150 ml of tomato sauce;
100 g of hard cheese;
salt, parsley.

Cooking method

We make minced chicken fillet. Wash the meat with cold water, cut into large pieces, put in a blender.

Add raw to blender egg- it will serve as a kind of glue that will connect the minced ingredients together.

For juiciness, we put the classic ingredient of any minced meat - an onion head, chopped coarsely. We grind the products until a homogeneous, smooth mass is obtained.

We put seasonings - hops-suneli, finely chopped bunch of dill and salt to taste. Mix the ingredients again, and the stuffing is ready. It can be removed for a while in the refrigerator, for about 15 minutes, so that the products “get to know” each other.

We heat a little olive oil in a pan for frying, add butter, when the pan heats up well and the oil has melted, put the minced meat. Fry over moderate heat for several minutes until half cooked, so that the minced meat grabs - slightly brightens.

Pour 3 liters of boiling water into the pan, pour 2-3 teaspoons of salt, put the gramophones. Cook for 5 minutes, do not cook until cooked, they will begin to stick together. Half-finished gramophones are thrown into a colander, then poured with extra virgin olive oil.

Grease a ceramic baking dish with olive oil. Add 50–80 ml to the tomato sauce hot water and a pinch of salt.

Grate hard cheese on a fine grater. Sprinkle the dish with a thick layer of grated cheese, heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

We put the form with pasta on the middle shelf of the oven in the center, bake for about 25 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with ground black pepper and parsley, pour with high-quality olive oil.

Which minced meat to choose to get an exquisite taste

You should pay special attention to the choice of this ingredient, because the right meat will emphasize the taste of pasta and give them a special flavor.

Give preference to only pork and ground beef.
It must be scrolled in a meat grinder at least two times.
It is not so easy to buy one in the store, but it will not be difficult to cook it yourself.
Homemade minced meat will allow you to be completely confident in high quality product, because cooked with your own hands, in compliance with the correct proportions, will perfectly emphasize the taste of pasta and sauce in this dish.
Large pasta "Shells" is especially popular in Russian cuisine. They are perfect for preparing this delicious minced meat dish. It does not take much time to prepare the dish, but the taste will pleasantly surprise you.

Stuffed shell pasta is one of the most delicious Italian dishes. They are perfect for both lunch and dinner. And for the filling, almost any product is suitable.

Pasta shells with minced meat in the oven - a dish with a delicious taste that does not take much time.

Pasta stuffed with minced meat is a favorite dish in many countries.

Required products:

about 400 grams of minced meat;
one bulb;
packaging pasta shells;
spices to taste;
two tablespoons of tomato paste;
100 grams of cheese.

Cooking process:

First you need to boil the conchiglioni, that is, pasta. It is not necessary to bring them to full readiness, hold them in water for half the specified time.
While they are cooking, make minced meat, mix it with chopped onions, add seasonings to your liking.
Fill the pasta with the meat mixture and put it in the cooking dish.
In another container, mix the tomato paste with a little plain water, salt or other seasonings can be added. Pour the shells with this sauce and put in an oven heated to 180 degrees for 30 minutes, and some time before the end of cooking, sprinkle with cheese on top.

In sour cream sauce

A gentle sauce that is great for large shell pasta. Any meat can be used as a filling.

Required products:

a pack of pasta shells;
200 grams of sour cream;
one bulb;
150 grams of cheese;
450 grams of any minced meat;
seasonings as desired.

Cooking process:

Macaroni should be cooked until cooked, but so that they are slightly firm.
In a bowl, mix the selected minced meat, with pre-chopped onions and any spices you wish.
We fill the shells with this mass, put them in a form, which should be with sides so that the sauce does not spill out.
We prepare the dressing: we combine sour cream with grated cheese, pour seasonings and pour pasta with this.
We keep in an oven preheated to 200 degrees, in time - about 25 minutes.

Pasta - shells stuffed with minced meat and pepper

It is desirable to prepare the dish in separate portioned forms, so it will better preserve its appearance.

This recipe will delight the family.

Required products:

150 grams of cheese;
450 grams of minced meat;
one Bell pepper and one egg;
a spoonful of tomato paste and sour cream;
bulb;
spices as desired;
pack of shell pasta.

Cooking process:

First, bring the pasta and minced meat to readiness. We cook the shells in salt water, and fry the minced meat in a pan.
Add the selected spices to the meat and beat in the egg.
We turn the onion into squares, and the pepper into small strips. Let it simmer for some time until it turns light brown. Pour this mixture over the meat.
We fill the shells with the meat mass, move them into the mold and proceed to the preparation of the sauce.
At this step, you can turn on the oven to heat up to 180 degrees. In a container, mix the tomato paste with sour cream and seasonings, pour pasta with this. Top everything with grated cheese. Cooking for about 20 minutes.

Delicate option with Bechamel sauce

Bechamel sauce goes well with pasta dishes. Try making stuffed shells with it.

Required products:

about 400 grams of minced meat;
two tablespoons of butter;
about 100 grams of cheese;
shell packing;
three tablespoons of flour;
seasonings as desired;
bulb;
400 milliliters of milk.

Cooking process:

Bring the minced meat to readiness in a hot pan, mixing it with chopped onions. You can add any seasonings to your taste.
Put the shells to boil and start making the sauce. To do this, melt the butter, add flour, hold for a couple of minutes and pour in the milk, put salt and pepper. Wait until the mass becomes thicker, pour in half of the grated cheese.
Fill the boiled shells with meat, put them in a mold. Pour the prepared sauce over the top and top with the remaining cheese.
Keep in an oven well preheated to 170 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Stuffing pasta - shells with mushrooms

If you do not want meat, then it is quite possible to replace it with mushrooms.

The perfect weekend meal.

Required products:

one bulb;
200 grams of cheese;
shell packing;
500 grams of mushrooms;
two tablespoons of tomato paste and the same amount of sour cream;
seasonings as desired.

Cooking process:

We send the shells to boil. At this time, chop the onion and mushrooms, fry them in a pan.
In a bowl, combine tomato paste with sour cream, add seasonings.
Fill the finished pasta with a mixture of onions and mushrooms. We put it in the form and fill it with the prepared sauce.
Cover the top of the dish with grated cheese. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, setting the temperature to 170 degrees.

Vegetarian way with minced vegetables

An excellent recipe for those who do not eat meat at all. The dish turns out to be useful and satisfying.

Required products:

100 grams of broccoli and cauliflower;
one pepper and onion;
a pack of shells;
spices to your taste;
500 milliliters of tomato juice.

Cooking process:

You can immediately turn on the oven at 200 degrees to warm it up.
We put both types of cabbage to boil and, after they are ready, put them in a pan for light frying. There we bring to beautiful color chopped onion and pepper. Don't forget to add seasonings.
Grind everything that turned out to the state of minced meat and fill the pasta with this mass.
We remove the shells in the form, pour on top tomato juice and cook for about 20 minutes. Add grated cheese if desired.

In a slow cooker

You can quickly cook shells in a slow cooker, and all products do not require pre-treatment.

A quick and tender dish.

Required products:

sour cream and tomato paste - 2 tablespoons each;
about 400 grams of minced meat;
150 grams of cheese;
shell packing;
one bulb;
seasonings as desired.

Cooking process:

Add chopped onion and selected seasonings to the meat.
Pasta does not need to be brought to readiness, we immediately begin to fill them. Then put into a bowl.
Fill with a mixture of spices, sour cream and tomato paste. Add water so that the shells are completely covered with liquid.
We set the "Baking" mode for 30 minutes. When everything is ready, pour in the grated cheese.

How to stuff pasta - a few secrets

To cook conchiglioni deliciously, you need to know how to stuff pasta.

A nutritious and beautiful dish.

Portion or disposable forms for cooking are ideal, then the pasta will retain its appearance and will not fall apart.

Required - the presence of sauce or filling. Products should be well soaked during baking. And, of course, cheese, because this is an Italian dish.

To cook juicy and tasty pasta stuffed with minced meat, you need to use a special type of pasta, such as large shells or cannelloni. On the shelves of large stores or supermarkets, you can easily find packaging with the right kind or pasta size, and make an amazing dish for lunch or dinner.

Stuffed pasta-shells baked in sauce in the oven

For pasta stuffed with minced meat, the recipe of which can be used as a base, various ingredients are used as fillings that are on hand, such as fried onions and mushrooms. But one thing remains the same in every recipe - it's cheese and delicious creamy or tomato sauce.

So let's start cooking. classic recipe stuffed pasta.

List of required ingredients

Pasta - large shells - 1 pack;
Mixed homemade minced meat - 500 gr.;
Chicken egg - 1 pc.;
Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.;
Ripe cherry tomatoes - 12 pcs.;
Hot chili pepper - 1 pc.;
Garlic - 3 cloves;
Vegetable oil - 50 ml.;
Hard cheese "Parmesan" - 150 gr.;
Fresh greens of basil and parsley - 3 sprigs each;
Table salt and freshly ground pepper.

cooking

The recipe for stuffed shells with minced meat is quite simple and unpretentious - in a large kitchen bowl, mix the minced meat with a beaten egg, add salt and freshly ground pepper and mix thoroughly. To make the mass denser and more elastic, you can beat the minced meat a little on the bottom of the bowl.

Stuff the shells with prepared minced meat (there is no need to pre-boil the pasta). Put the prepared semi-finished product aside for a while.

clean up bell pepper and tomatoes, cut them into large pieces. Remove the seeds from the chili pepper, cut it in half, peel the garlic.

Load all the vegetables into a blender, pour in a little vegetable oil, season with salt and spices and beat until a uniform sauce without lumps is obtained. Chop fresh herbs.

Lubricate the refractory form with the remnants of vegetable oil, lay out the shells stuffed with minced meat, and pour the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle greens on top, and put for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 180C.

Shells stuffed with minced meat in the oven, the recipe of which provides for a cheese crust, will turn out delicious with any kind of cheese or cheese. While the pasta is baking, you need to grate hard cheese on a medium grater, for spice, you can squeeze a couple of cloves of garlic through a kitchen press into it, add sweet ground paprika or turmeric. Sprinkle the shells with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and baked until golden brown.

Seashells stuffed with meat and cheese are a very high-calorie dish, so it is recommended to serve a salad of fresh vegetables depending on the season or homemade canned vegetables as a side dish.

If the pasta is not pre-boiled in heavily salted water, then it is recommended to add half a glass of boiled cold water to the vegetable sauce so that there is enough liquid to soften and cook the pasta.

It is important that the product has a wide opening, then it will be convenient to stuff the pasta with any filling. As a rule, the pasta is first boiled a little so that it becomes soft, and then it is filled and baked in the oven with sauce.
The most popular recipe can be considered canelloni - thick tubes stuffed with meat and cheese, or stuffed pasta-shells with minced meat in the oven, baked in tomato sauce. Also, cheese or mushroom sauce, Bolognese with nutmeg is ideal for this dish.
From fresh herbs for cooking, it is best to use basil and parsley. It is they who will pleasantly revive the shells stuffed with minced meat.
Harder cheeses are easier to grate for stuffing, and they melt best when high temperature in the oven while baking.
Instead of tomato paste, you can use canned tomatoes in their own juice. They are already peeled, and some are crushed.
If used in a dish minced chicken, then more sauce will be required - chicken meat may turn out dry when cooked if there is little liquid.