Saturday 2 February 2013

Recipe: Stuffed pasta shells

ready for the oven,,,
As the winter lingers on, so do my wintery, whole-hearted, comfort food recipes.  Of course, you will agree with me that pasta features in all its glory in such situations... So, while I advocate a new, healthy lifestyle, there will certainly be times I will revert to such lovelies.  This recipe is new to me and was the result of extreme jealousy.  Yes, one can experiment with recipes because one has tasted (and enjoyed) something and has felt weak for not having thought about it themselves: Following a dinner with friends recently, I got jealous of a pasta recipe - this is the result of my jealousy:

out of the oven!
Stuffed pasta shells

30 large pasta shells, cooked al dente
2 large handfuls of spinach, cooked
250g ricotta
125g cream cheese
150g shredded cheese, plus some extra
500g tomato sauce (I used one with basil)
250g mozzarella, broken up


Make the filling:  In a huge bowl, stir together the spinach, the ricotta, the cream and shredded cheese and some salt and pepper depending on your taste.  Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C.  Spread a 30x30cm dish with half the tomato sauce.  Now begins the important task:  fill the shells.  It may sound easy and it is, but it does need patience.  A spoonful for each shell and this filling was enough for 31 shells, to be exact...  Cover with the remaining sauce, break the mozzarella on top and finish with a bit extra shredded cheese (how much depends on your cheesy needs...)  Bake for about 30 minutes, until all has bubbled away.  Enjoy!





This post is my entry into Weekend Cooking, a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

24 comments:

  1. Pasta shells are so yummy. I'm usually too lazy to make them, but this recipe looks good.

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    Replies
    1. stuffing the shells is really repetitive - very soothing too!

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  2. Oh, all of that pasta and ricotta! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This looks delicious!

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    Replies
    1. I can confirm it's just as delicious as you describe... thanks Cecelia!

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  3. Lovely recipe. But I hate stuffing the shells, I usually use lasagna instead. Not exactly the same thing but so much quicker.

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    Replies
    1. I find that the shells are just a nice alternative - plus, I like the repetitive filling of the shells, it's soothing...

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  4. Looks delicious!

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  5. Yum- one of my favourite meals!

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  6. Not sure why, this is one pasta dish I never order-love ravioli but never get the stuffed shells.

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    1. You should definitely try them!

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  7. I like stuffed shells better than lasagna, but the shells have to be cooked al dente, as you point out in the recipe!

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    1. indeed, as they will continue cooking while baking!

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  8. This is exactly what I want to make this week. What a perfect winter comfort food. I think my 10-year-old would love to help me stuff the shells. Thank you for sharing and I will have to cook with new measurments!

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    1. that will be a lot of fun in the kitchen!!!

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  9. I have never tried pasta shells - I will look out for them. Have a good week.

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    1. thanks Carole - same to you!

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  10. Beautiful -- and all bet they taste every bit as good as they look!

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  11. Lovely presentation. These are appealing to a cheese lover. They look so rich.

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  12. It's been a long time since I made stuffed shells, yours look wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. you should definitely try them!

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