Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe

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Ricotta stuffed shells are the best comfort food. They mix ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses with sautéed spinach. This dish includes big pasta shells, making it great for sharing with family and friends.

This meal is inspired by Italy and is vegetarian. It’s baked until it gets golden and bubbly. Adding extra Parmesan makes it even better. It’s good for you and makes everyone want more.

Exact Ingredients (+ Possible Substitutes)

To make these tasty ricotta stuffed shells, grab your pasta ingredients:

• 16 jumbo pasta shells
• High-quality olive oil
• Fresh minced garlic
• Roughly-chopped fresh spinach leaves
• Skim-milk ricotta cheese filling
• Skim-milk mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan
• A large egg
• Freshly chopped basil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• Homemade marinara sauce

This mix makes an awesome vegetarian pasta dish, great for health-conscious eaters. Need to change things up? No problem! You can switch some ingredients to what you like. Maybe try ricotta with heavy cream for a tastier dish. For easy prep, go for frozen spinach. And you could toss in different cheeses to make the filling stand out more.

Want to make your homemade marinara sauce even better? Add eschalots, more garlic, and a mix of fresh herbs and spices. Or a splash of white wine can up its taste too. These touches will make your vegetarian pasta dish extraordinary.

Instructions

Start by heating your oven to 375°F (190°C). Next, cook your pasta shells in boiling, salted water. They should be firm but not too hard. This makes sure they taste just right in your meal.

Sauté some minced garlic in olive oil until it smells good. Then, add spinach until it wilts. Mix this with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, an egg, and seasonings. The egg makes everything stick together well.

Put marinara sauce at the dish’s bottom. Then, stuff each shell with the mixture. Put them open side up in the dish. Add more sauce over them. Cover with foil for baking.

Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Or, try baking unstuffed shells in a lot of sauce. It’s also tasty and easier.