Stuffed pastas are one of those things that I used to think were out of my reach now that I’ve been living alone for a few years. Making a big pan of manicotti or stuffed shells seemed ridiculous. Now that I’ve bought smaller baking ware for my kitchen, I’ve discovered that I can make these recipes in small enough batches that I can enjoy them alone without waste.
Ingredients:
1 cup ricotta
1 large handful baby spinach
½ shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 canned artichoke hearts
4-7 jumbo pasta shells
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
1-2 cups milk
½ tsp Garlic powder
½ tsp Onion powder
½ tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium heat with some olive oil. Add your shallot and allow to sweat for two minutes. Add your spinach and stir frequently.
When the spinach is wilted, add your artichoke hearts to the pan with your minced or crushed garlic. Stir until the garlic is fragrant. Remove to a chopping board to cool while your pasta shells boil.
For the bechamel, use a medium saucepan over medium. Add two tbs of butter and allow to melt before adding your flour and dry seasoning. Mix into a paste, then begin to slowly add your milk until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Set aside.
When your spinach mixture has cooled, chop it down into uniform size before combining it with the ricotta, ½ cup of mozzarella, and the parmesan in a separate bowl.
When your pasta shells are al dente, drain the noodles and then place them in a bowl of cool water to prevent stickage. Lay a layer of bechamel in the bottom of your small oven safe vessel.
Dry each noodle before filling with a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Lay them into your cooking vessel until a single layer of noodles has been formed with the seam facing upward. There will be extra cheese mixture.
Add more bechamel over the top of the noodles, then sprinkle on the remaining ½ cup of shredded mozzarella. Add the vessel to the a preheated airfryer at 350 for about 12 minutes or until the cheese has started to spot.
Today we’re making spinach and artichoke stuffed shells is something different. This is another single serve recipe. We’re going to start by sautéing a handful of spinach and half of a shallot and some garlic. When the spinach is wilted, add maybe three articho carts. Let that sauté for a couple more minutes. Then remove it from the pan and chop it up. Let that cool before getting your ricotta mixture together. The exact measurement of the cheeses will be down in the description. I’m using a bashimal for the base here, but I think this would be just as good with a red sauce. Whatever you want to do. Stuff each shell with a big spoonful of your cheese and then arrange in your pan. When your pan’s full, top those shells with some more sauce and then a handful of shredded moss. I stick this in the air fryer at 350 for about 12 minutes. Written recipe in the description or at eating.com.
Dining and Cooking