Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells
Serves 4
Here is what you need:
1 box of Jumbo Pasta Shells (about 18 to 20 shells)
5 to 6 ounces of fresh spinach
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus some for serving
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped (1 tsp if using dried)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ tsp salt, plus salt for pasta water
few grinds of fresh black pepper
A jar of your favorite marinara sauce (or make your own)
fresh chopped parsley
red pepper flakes, optional
Here is what you need to do:
Preheat your oven to 425.
Heat water in a large pot, when it begins to boil add some salt. Add in the pasta and cook it just shy of al dente. You don’t want them to overcook in the oven. When they are to your liking drain them and spread them out over a sheet pan to keep them from sticking together while they cool.
While the pasta is cooking steam your spinach. Fill a pot with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer. Place spinach in a steamer basket, place over the water and cover the pot. Steam until wilted down, mine took about 5 minutes, move it around every now and then.
Remove spinach from basket, let it cool and squeeze out the excess water. Chop the spinach.
In a large bowl combine the cheeses, spinach, egg, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
Spray a baking dish with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray.
Spread a little of the marinara across the bottom of the baking dish. Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and place in the baking dish. Pour the rest of the marinara sauce around the shells.Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Some people like to remove the foil for the last few minutes of cooking. It can crisp up the edges of the shell if you like that or sprinkle some parmesan or mozzarella over the top!
Remove from oven and let it set for a minute then serve with a sprinkle of parsley and cheese. Dash some red pepper on it if you like.
Let’s Eat!
Cover Photo: Getty Images