Baked Stuffed Sombreroni

I found this adorable pasta over the holidays at a specialty shop in Palo Alto. They have a good selection on display of the different type’s of pasta in shapes of flowers, bow ties, and much more. I was fascinated by this particular one in lovely stripes of yellow, red, orange and green. Sombreroni, or large Mexican hats are little fun-shaped pasta. Made by Pozzo del Re, this colorful pasta is hand crafted in Italy. The hues of green, red, orange, and yellow stem from natural and dehydrated ingredients that are added to the flour mix. Green is from spinach, yellow is turmeric, red is tomato or beet root. Bon Appétit!
Ingredients:
10 Sombreroni shells
¾ lb lean ground beef
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup cheddar chesese, grated
1 jar good quality spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro for garnishing
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook pasta shells according to directions on package.
2. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add ground beef and fry for about 5 minutes, then the chopped spinach. Stir to mix well and remove from heat. Drain off excess oil.
3. Mix in the breadcrumbs, nutmeg, only half of the cheeses, and then followed by the egg mixture. When mixture is cool enough to handle, stuff cooked shells with the mixture.

4. In a baking tray, spread half of the spaghetti sauce. Arrange stuffed shells side by side into baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with the rest of the cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes until sauce and cheese are bubbly and cooked through. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with the rest of cheeses and cilantro. Serve warm.
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