Doaheadstuffedshells Recipes

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and then add in the pasta shells. I usually cook a few extra in case some fall apart. Cook for half of the time indicated on the package plus one minute. (About 5-6 minutes depending on the package you use). Drain the shells and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to be easily separated. Drain off any water and separate onto a sheet of parchment paper on the counter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix until completely combined. Add in the basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, and salt + pepper to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Stir gently.
• Finely grate the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add two cups of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese into the cheese mixture. Gently stir to completely combine.
• Transfer this cheese mixture to a large (gallon-sized) zipper-top plastic bag. Snip off 1-inch of the corner of the bag and "pipe" the cheese mixture into each of the shells. Each shell should get about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture (which should fill 25-26 shells).
• Spread half of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish.
• Place stuffed shells in the baking dish with the open side facing up. Pack the shells in close together.
• Cover shells evenly with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups marinara sauce. Aim to completely cover all of the shells to avoid hard parts of the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the shells. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with freshly chopped basil if desired. I also like to add a little more cracked pepper to the top!

MAKE-AHEAD UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Mix cream cheese spread, basil, Parmesan, milk and Italian seasoning in large bowl until blended; stir in pasta. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

DO-AHEAD STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• If serving immediately, heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make Tomato Sauce: Soak mushrooms in the warm warm until softened, 30 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and the reserved soaking liquid, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat 10 minutes. Chop parsley with basil; add to sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Mix remaining ingredients except Parmesan in medium bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan until blended.
• Using soup spoon, stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture.
• Place half the tomato sauce in casserole large enough to hold shells in single layer, or divide sauce among 2 or 3 smaller casseorles. Place shells over tomato sauce, then spoon remaining sauce over shells.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over shells. Cover and bake until heated through, 12-15 minutes. Serve with additional Parmesan.
• Or, let unbaked sauced shells cool to room temperature, cover tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. To serve, thaw covered in refrigerator, then bake as directed and serve with addtiional grated Parmesan cheese.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
• Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of Parmesan.

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for half the cooking time on the package; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Romano, parsley, basil, egg, some salt and pepper and half of the Parmesan. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with some sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture and place face-down on the sauce. Repeat with the shells until the cheese mixture is gone. Top the shells with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on the mozzarella and extra Parmesan.
• Bake until hot and bubbly, 25 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.