Beefy Stuffed Pasta

This recipe could be made ahead of time or even frozen to be cooked at a later time. The pasta shells can be filled and frozen separately. Prepare pasta shells as directed. Place filled shells onto ungreased baking sheet; cover and freeze. When frozen, place shells into resealable plastic freezer bag; seal bag. Place bag in freezer. To bake shells, heat oven to 350°F. Continue assembling casserole with frozen shells, sauce and cheese as directed in oven directions. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until heated through. You can also use your leftover cooked shells as an appetizer, rinse the shells with cold water, drain really well on a towel, then fill with egg salad or ham salad. Keep in the "frig" until ready to serve. Also, if you have shells that have broken up, and you can not fill them with what you are stuffing them with, put them aside to use in another pasta dish at a later time. Here is some food for thought; for years I have put salt in my water when boiling the water for the pasta, I really never stopped to think why, I just did it because that is what my mother did. Salt actually plays a very important role in the cooking of pasta; salt brings out the natural flavor of the pasta. The salt however, must be added once the water has started to boil. If the salt is added too late, it will not be absorbed correctly into the pasta. Adding salt too early may lengthen the boiling time. Allow the salt to dissolve before adding the pasta. So now you know! Happy Cooking!!
Halee Mitchell