Homemade Stuffed Shells
Pasta shells stuffed with a creamy cheese filling and topped with a Tangy Tomato Sauce 😋🇮🇹
Tomato Sauce (you can substitute for store bought)
4 tbsp Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
1/2 white onion diced small
Red pepper flakes hot optional
796 ml Passata Mutti preferred plus some water.
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
Fresh basil handful plus a couple leaves
Tsp salt (or more – taste )
Tsp of pepper
For the sauce ..Heat the oil in a pan or small pot. Add the garlic peeled and smashed whole to the pan and cook for a minute to flavor the oil and then remove the garlic. Then add in the diced onion. Saute until translucent on low and then add some red hot chill flakes and a handful of fresh basil. Add the passata and tomato paste. Then fill the passata bottle 1/4 way with water and shake and add to the sauce. Stir. Season with salt and pepper and add a little more basil. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer on low covered for half hour. Stirring occasionally. Remove the lid. Remove the basil and sprinkle some pecorino Romano cheese. Stir. Then simmer to reduce a little on low for 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Set aside.
For the spinach –
Sauté 3-4 cups of spinach in a tbsp of olive oil until wilted. Season with a little salt. Place in a strainer to drain the water pressing gently. Then chop it up and set aside to cool
Cook the Pasta shells in Salted boiling water approximately 5-6 mins. Drain in a colander and place the pasta in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain again in a colander and then dry the pasta patting it down using a cloth. Set aside covered on the cloth to dry completely.
Filling
18 oz Ricotta Cheese.
Chopped cooked spinach
1 cup grated mozzerella cheese
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt
pepper
Mix and add all the ingredients into a bowl until combined.
Stuff the shells with the mixture using a spoon or spatula or piping bag.
Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of the sauce and a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano Cheese. Place the stuffed shells on top of the sauce. Leaving a little space inbetween. Top the stuffed shells with some more Tomato sauce covering the shells. Top with 3-4 tablespoons of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, and about a 1/4 to 1/2 c of Mozzerella Cheese. Then Sprinkle a little more pecorino cheese.
Bake covered at 375F for 20 mins and then uncover and bake for 10-15 mins until golden and bubbly on top. You can opt to freeze prior to baking, cover the entire dish with a layer of freezer storage wrap including the pan and then also cover with a layer of foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed. #stuffedshells #cheesestuffedshells #pastatiktok #italianfood #pastarecipe
I just made some stuffed shells. Let me show you how I did it. Oh, they smell so good. Who doesn’t love a pasta stuffed with a creamy cheese filling and then topped with more cheese and a tangy tomato sauce? Not only is it a warm and hearty dish and perfect as a family meal, it is also excellent for entertaining because you can prepare this dish ahead of time and it feeds a large crowd. You can even prepare this, place it in the freezer, and then bake it when you’re ready to serve, and it turns out beautifully. I added spinach to this one, so I sauteed it in some olive oil. You want to cook the pasta just until a couple minutes before it’s done. Then strain it and add it to a water bath. And strain them back through the strainer. Dump them on a cloth [Music] and pat them dry. So now I’m going to prep the filling. Starting with the ricotta cheese. Put the ricotta in a strainer to strain in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours. It gets rid of the excess moisture. Now I’m using a small amount of spinach because not everybody here loves a lot of spinach. And now I’m just chopping up the spinach really fine. Add it to the ricott with some mozzarella, pecorino romano cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper, one egg, and some fresh parsley. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese and stuff the shells with the mixture. Top it with some more tomato sauce, some pecorino romano cheese, some grated mozzarella, and more pecorino romano cheese. Cover and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. And then we’re going to uncover it and bake it for about 10 more minutes until it’s nice and crispy and golden on top. M comfort food at its best. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and enjoy.
Dining and Cooking