Okay, so I was making pasta the other night, and I got into this whole thing about how much pasta is actually in a box of jumbo shells. You know, those big ones you stuff with cheese and bake? I always end up with either way too much or not enough. So, I decided to get to the bottom of it.
First, I grabbed a box of jumbo shells from the pantry. The box said it was 12 ounces, but that doesn’t really tell me how many shells to expect, right?
The Experiment Begins!
I opened the box and started counting. It was kind of a pain, honestly. Those shells are all nested together, and some were broken. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but, you know, life happens.
I separated them, then I count, It took me a good 10 minutes, and I even made litte piles of my table, to make sure I don’t get confused.
The Results (Drumroll Please…)
- I counted approximately 45-50 shells in that 12-ounce box. Some were broken, so it’s a rough estimate.
So, there you have it. If you’re planning on making stuffed shells, and a recipe calls for a certain number, you can use that as a very rough guide. Keep in mind that box sizes might vary, and breakage is a real thing. I’d probably buy an extra box, just in case. You can always use leftover shells for something else, right?
This whole thing taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, you just gotta do a little hands-on investigation to get the answers you need. And maybe buy extra pasta. Always buy extra pasta.
