Baked Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are amazing in my mind! I am all for pasta stuffed with cheese. I like to order this when I go out, so its about time I try to give a recipe a whirl.

Ingredients

1 tsp of kosher salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
2 28 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 lb of large pasta shells
1 lb of ricotta, drained overnight
16 ounces of mozzarella, cut into cubes, plus 4 ounces shredded
2 cups of grated Grana Padano
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
8 ounces frozen peas, thawed
3 tbs of fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup of fresh basil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook until edges are golden.
Sprinkle in red pepper flakes.
Add the tomatoes, slosh out a can with 1 cup of cooking water, add to pot.
Stir in salt, and bring to a rapid simmer.
Cook uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, add the shells to boiling water and cook until al dente.
For the filling, stir together in a bowl ricotta, cubed mozzarella,1 cup of Grana Padano, peas, parsley and egg.
Mix the shredded mozzarella and other Grana Padano cup in a different bowl.
Stir in basil into the finished sauce.
To assemble, in a large baking dish, spread 2 cups of the sauce in the dish.
Divide the shells and fill each one, placing each one on top of the sauce.
Once all the cheese filled pasta is in dish, pour two more cups of sauce on top.
Sprinkle other cheese mixture on top and dollop left over sauce.

Tent pan with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and let it bake more for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Changes I Made!
I hate peas, so nixed those in a heart beat.
I also probably slightly cheated and got cans of already crushed tomatoes.

This recipe comes from Lidia's Celebrate Like an Italian.

Comments

"A Farewell to Arms" Mac N Cheese

I love reading, so when I was given The Book Lovers Cook Book it was a dream come true. I have a deep love for The Lost Generation, so this recipe sneaked in between a quote from Gertrude Stein, and a passage from Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" was a perfect start for me. Ingredients 2 cups of uncooked macaroni 1/4 cup of butter 2 tbs of flour 2 cups of milk 8 oz of cream cheese, softened 2 tsp of Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of pepper 8 oz of mild cheddar, grated Chives Directions Cook macaroni until tender, drain and set aside. Melt butter in a sauce pan until it sizzles. Stir in flour, and cook for at least 1 minute. Continue cooking over medium heat and add milk, cream cheese, mustard, salt and peppe...

Baked Potato Soup

Baked potato soup is one of the first soups I learned how to make, and this recipe is my go to recipe, especially in the middle of winter, because most of the ingredients I have on hand at all times. Ingredients 2 medium potatoes, bakes and cooled 1 can of chicken broth 2 tbs of sour cream 1/8 tsp of pepper 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese Directions Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place 1/2 of the potato in a blender and with chicken broth. Pour mix into sauce pan and add remaining potato, sour cream and pepper. Cook over low heat until heated through. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, and whatever else you want. Changes I made! I do not mess with this recipe except what I add on top when I eat. This recipe is from Taste of Home.

Stuffed portobello

This is a dish I always heard about, but have never actually had, until I made it myself for this blog. I love mushrooms, but if there's one thing this recipe introduced to me is a love for white bean puree. Overall, very good and hearty vegetarian dish. Ingredients 1 15 ounce can of drained white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 2 tbs of olive oil, divided 1 tbs of water 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 garlic clove, crushed 1/4 tsp of salt 1/4 tsp pepper 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed 1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped. 1/2 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese Directions In a food processor, combine beans, one tbs of oil, water, rosemary, garlic, salt and...

By the Cookbooks

Search This Blog