Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Stuffed Shells

One of my 2018 New Year resolutions is to return to sharing recipes with you. I suspect that some of you have seen this one and perhaps even made it, but with the cold weather we are having, it is perfect! 

If you cannot find fresh basil, dried basil will do.. just use 1/2 as much. Shortcut it with commercial marinara sauce and you have a quick meal. This freezes well, so make a whole batch and freeze half!

Happy New Year! Happy cooking! 



Stuffed Shells

16 jumbo pasta shells (Cook a couple of extra shells to allow for a few       breaking while the pasta cooks.)
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
4 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
12 oz skim milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 egg
1Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups marinara sauce


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

         Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.



In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. 

        Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of Parmesan.


No comments :

Post a Comment