Description
Delicious Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells baked in a rich tomato sauce, featuring jumbo pasta shells filled with a creamy spinach and ricotta mixture, topped with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Perfect for a comforting and hearty meal that serves 5 to 6 people.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eschallots/shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 bay leaf, fresh (sub dried)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 700g / 25 oz tomato passata (tomato sauce)
- 1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (sub more stock)
- 4 cups vegetable stock/broth, low sodium
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
Filling:
- 250g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 500g / 1 lb ricotta, full fat
- 1/2 cup parmesan, finely shredded
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss, etc.)
- 1 egg
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Grated fresh nutmeg or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Stuffed Shells:
- 250g / 8 oz jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup parmesan, shredded
- Fresh basil and parmesan, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce: Heat olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, chopped onion or shallots, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in tomato paste and cook for an additional minute to deepen the flavors.
- Reduce Wine: Pour in the white wine and increase the heat to high. Let it simmer rapidly for about 2 minutes until mostly evaporated, concentrating the flavor.
- Simmer Sauce: Add the tomato passata, vegetable stock, white sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and then reduce heat to low. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the sauce hot for assembling later.
- Prepare the Filling: Take handfuls of thawed spinach and squeeze out all excess water thoroughly to prevent sogginess. In a mixing bowl, combine the squeezed spinach with ricotta, parmesan, shredded cheese, egg, minced garlic, nutmeg (if using), salt, and black pepper. Mix everything well until fully incorporated.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 200°C (400°F), or 180°C fan-forced, to ensure it is at the correct temperature before baking.
- Stuff Shells: Carefully stuff the uncooked jumbo pasta shells with the spinach ricotta filling, ensuring they are well filled but not overstuffed to prevent breaking.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the hot tomato sauce into a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inch) baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells gently into the sauce, submerging most of them while a few may poke out above the surface. Cover the baking dish with a tray or foil to protect during baking.
- Bake Shells: Bake covered for 70 minutes. Check that the pasta is al dente; if not, return to oven covered until done.
- Add Cheese Topping: Remove the cover and sprinkle the stuffed shells with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden.
- Serve: Garnish with fresh basil leaves and extra parmesan if desired. Serve hot and enjoy your comforting meal!
Notes
- Shallots, also called eschallots, are sweeter and finer than onions and can be used interchangeably with small onions.
- Tomato passata is a smooth pureed tomato sauce excellent for creating smooth textures; canned crushed tomatoes pureed work as a substitute if not available.
- Frozen spinach is convenient and effective; if using fresh spinach, sauté and drain well before use to remove excess moisture.
- Full-fat ricotta is preferred for a creamy and moist filling; low-fat ricotta may produce a drier texture.
- The jumbo shells do not require pre-cooking, which makes stuffing easier, but ensure they are well covered by sauce to cook properly in the oven.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. Reheat covered in the microwave for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/5 of recipe)
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
