Recipe Home > Main Dish > Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
- 1 pound large shells
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/4 cup parmesean
For the Filling
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 cup spinach finely chopped (see note)
- salt and pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or finely minced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Boil pasta shells until just shy of al dente – they should have a bit of a bite left to them.
For the Sauce
- Heat oil in a large skillet until just shimmering.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and lemon zest.
- Simmer 7 minutes.
- Stir in fresh herbs.
For the Filling
- While the pasta cooks and the sauce simmers, combine all the filling ingredients except the spinach and mix well.
- Gently fold in the spinach until evenly dispersed. Extreme mixing will turn the ricotta green.
To Assemble
- In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread enough sauce to coat the bottom evenly.
- Put about 1 -1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each shell. Some of the shells will break and won’t be useable, usually I end up with a few leftover.
- Place stuffed shells in the pan in a single layer.
- Spoon remaining sauce evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
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