If meals is a metaphor for a blanket, then cowl up with this. Melty, tacky stuffed pasta shells, smothered in a brilliant tomato sauce — and, in fact, extra cheese — are precisely what we’d like proper now. It is a dish that can please everybody, regardless of their age, and heat you up when the climate is depressing exterior.
It takes a bit of time to assemble, so contemplate the method a meditative train with comforting outcomes. Be at liberty to excellent the presentation, arranging the shells in tidy rows or spirals, for those who like. However keep in mind that the shells might be blanketed with sauce and cheese, so there’s completely no have to be meticulous — until that’s the way you roll.
A meal like that is warming and satisfying within the winter. It’s additionally sensible, as a result of it may be assembled prematurely, and the parts could be doubled to feed a crowd. I’ve supplied a easy tomato sauce, which is all you want, however a favourite ready tomato or marinara sauce can simply stand in.
As for the filling, I’ll repeat my mantra about selecting ricotta cheese: All the time use a high-quality, whole-milk ricotta for greatest outcomes. You desire a creamy, full-flavored cheese, and the skim varieties are skinny, watery and infrequently bland and even bitter. On this recipe, I add chopped cooked spinach to the filling. Whilst you can omit the greens altogether, I do champion their addition to the dish; it’s a beautiful strategy to sneak in a vegetable.
Lastly, you’ll be aware that I don’t parboil the shells, which fortunately contributes to the benefit of creating this dish. (That is additionally how I desire to make lasagna.) I discover that overlaying the dish with foil whereas it bakes and lengthening the cooking time ends in the shells being sufficiently cooked to al dente.
Tacky Baked Stuffed Pasta Shells
Lively time: 45 minutes
Whole time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed pink pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to style
Filling:
5 ounces contemporary child spinach (non-compulsory)
16 ounces contemporary whole-milk ricotta, drained
1/2 contemporary mozzarella ball, about 4 ounces, finely chopped
1 massive egg
1/4 cup packed finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 massive garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
1/2 contemporary mozzarella ball, about 4 ounces, shredded
1/4 cup finely packed grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
Make the sauce: Warmth the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute till mushy with out coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and pink pepper flakes and saute till aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer, partially lined, over medium-low warmth for about 20 minutes. Season with the salt. (If utilizing ready sauce, you’ll need 28 ounces, or 3 1/2 cups.)
Warmth the oven to 375 levels.
Make the filling: If utilizing spinach, steam the leaves till wilted. Switch to a colander and squeeze out all of the liquid. Finely chop the spinach. Mix all of the filling components, together with the spinach if utilizing, in a bowl and blend effectively.
Spoon 1 cup of the tomato sauce into an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and unfold evenly.
Utilizing a teaspoon, fastidiously stuff the pasta shells with the filling. Organize the shells aspect by aspect, gap-side up, within the dish. If there’s any remaining filling, drop dabs of the filling across the shells.
Spoon the remaining sauce round and between the shells. High with the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.
Cowl the dish with foil and switch to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then take away the foil. Bake for quarter-hour extra or till the pasta is al dente and the highest is golden in spots. Let stand for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
This recipe is from Lynda Balslev, a cookbook writer, meals and journey author, and recipe developer. She could be discovered at TasteFoodBlog.com