3.10.11

stuffed shells

for tonight's quick dinner, i used the left over pizza sauce from my margherita pizzas and the ricotta mixture is basically the same from the ricotta toasts--i'll explain:

you will need:

    about 2 cups leftover pizza sauce, or tomato sauce of your choice
    1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of its juices (use paper towels to squeeze it out)
    10 jumbo pasta shells (roughly...i just threw some in, enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow. i have extra)
    1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (none of these measurements are precise, just eyeball it)
    1 bunch fresh basil, julienned
    1 egg (you don't need this, i threw it in because many recipes call for it)
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
    1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (this allowed me to use my mircoplane grater for the first time, and i must say its the beginning of a lusty affair)


preheat that oven to 350.

boil your shells for about 11 minutes, whatever the box says really. mine said 11.

 drain them and set them aside.

 heat up your sauce of choice in a saucepan (just to warm through, you aren't cooking it) and stir in about half the spinach, give or take. or omit it if you aren't a spinach person...i won't judge.

mix up the ricotta, parmesan, egg, basil, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 the spinach in a bowl.

now find an oven safe dish large enough for all those shells, and spread a little sauce in the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking. one at a time, cup the shells in your hand and spoon the ricotta mix inside, and gently lay in the dish. don't get crazy and over stuff them, you dont want it all oozing out in the oven. i had one extra shell, so i threw it out. you just have to kind of guess the noodle-to-filling ratio. (i'm a pattern maker not a mathematician, and although i realize repeat pattern is very complex and mathematical at times....i don't care. just go for it! no one is watching, channel julia child)

anyway, once the stuffing and placing is done, spoon the rest of the sauce over the shells and put the pan in the oven. (if you're feeling really crazy you could top it with some fresh mozz before you bake, why i didnt do this i dont know, it sounds delicious in retrospect.)

bake about 25 minutes or so and eat!


this is strictly an opinion, but i think a good double chocolate milano appetizer and (yes, and) dessert couple beautifully with the delicate and subtle fruit notes of this dish....or some fancy talk like that.