SevenSenses

I was introduced to this pasta dish over 30 years ago when I met my husband. It shows up at every Sullivan family event and was created by John’s grandmother (Beatrice Sullivan, nee Walsh). I got it from his mother (Beatrice McDevitt, nee Sullivan). I have adjusted the ingredients a bit as I have made it over the years so have added my version in parentheses but have opted to post the original recipe below to keep the tradition pure.

Ingredients

2 lb ground beef ( I use 1 lb burger and 1 lb sausage meat – blend of sweet and hot Italian)
2 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove crushed garlic (I use 3 sometimes 4!)
14 oz jar of Ragu (I just use a jar of whatever we have – sometimes make my own)
1 lb can stewed tomatoes
4 oz can of mushrooms (I always use fresh mushrooms)
1 1/2 pt of sour cream (I use 2)
1/2 lb provolone
1/2 lb mozzarella
1 box of medium shell pasta
(I always add fresh basil and oregano chopped to the sauce)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350
Cook the shells per the directions and drain (Add a little EVOO if they are done before your sauce is ready)
Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove top and add the meat to brown
Add in the onion, garlic, mushrooms and saute lightly to soften
Add the sauce and tomatoes (and fresh oregano and basil if you like)
Simmer for 20 minutes

Put a light coating of the sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish
Put half the shells in the casserole and cover with half the meat sauce
spread 1/2 the sour cream on top of the sauce
layer 1/2 the provolone over the sour cream
NOTE: Allison McDevitt made this step a lot easier by just spreading the sour cream on a slice of provolone and placing it on top of the sauce (spreading the sour cream was a pain in the neck!)
repeat with the other half of the shells, sour cream and provolone
Top with mozzarella cheese
Bake covered for 35-40 minutes
Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes (I like the little crispy bits of mozzarella around the edge of the casserole so I cook it to get that crunch! )