Stuffed Shells with Ricotta and Spinach, with a Sausage Sauce
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 28 oz can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- ½ lb of Italian sausage about 3-4 sausages, removed from casings
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic sliced
- 3 sprigs of fresh basil chopped
- ½ box of jumbo shells 8 oz, or about 24 shells
- Salt and pepper
Filling:
- 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach thawed
- 1 cup of ricotta
- ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella plus more for topping
- ⅓ cup of Pecorino or Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- Handful of fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Brown the sausage over medium heat with the olive oil. Once it starts to take on color (about 8-10 minutes), add in the garlic and sauté another few minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook about 5 more minutes, lowering the heat to low if needed. Add the crushed tomatoes, pinch of salt and pepper, and the fresh basil. Let the sauce come to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and keep it covered while you prepare the filling and cook the pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino, parsley, dash of grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, onion powder and hot pepper, and set aside.
- Using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, squeeze out as much water from the thawed spinach as possible. In a small pan, sauté the garlic in one tablespoon of olive oil until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, take the spinach off the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, add to your ricotta mixture and stir until it’s well combined.
- Next step is to boil your pasta. Set a pot with water over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in a handful of salt and the pasta. Cook about 2 minutes less than the package calls for - they won’t be cooked fully, but just enough that they open and are pliable, and it’s easy to fill them.
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot, drizzling a little olive oil if you see them sticking together.
- Add the heavy cream to the sauce, and taste to make sure the seasoning is right. If the sauce is still too thin, let it cook a little longer.
- Once all of the ingredients are ready, create an assembly line for yourself: pasta, filling, sauce, 9x13 baking dish. Scoop a ladle full of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Using a spoon, start to fill the shells, laying them in a line in the baking dish, squishing them a little if you have to! You can fill these pretty well, they won’t puff up or the filling won’t spill out. Once all of your shells are filled, top with a good amount of sauce, a sprinkling of pecorino and mozzarella, and the breadcrumbs.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. At this point you can pop in the fridge if you’re making them later on or the next day.
- Bake the shells in the oven, covered, for about 20 minutes, and then uncovered for about 10-15, until they get nice and crispy. Serve with the leftover sauce, more Pecorino, and a little more fresh basil!