Shells stuffed with ricotta and spinach make a delicious main course if you follow my Italian recipe. Why not try this delicious and healthy recipe for a change? I bet you'll never use another one again!
Originally published on July 6, 2015 asMy Miele dishwasher review.
As you probably already know, pasta is one of my favorite dishes.
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However, being Italian, I think it's in my DNA and I just agree with it. "Tell me pasta makes you fat," I laughed. It's not pasta that makes people fat, but pastatypFat noodles! (I don't mean the pasta itself, but all the ingredients in the recipe.) In Italy things are changing with American fast food and frozen foods, but let me tell you, a few years ago it wasn't like that remember, in Italy you see people overweight (except some older ladies who are a bit obese).
The old photos above are of my family in Italy; if all pasta and bread are fattening, everyone in this picture will beMorbidlyobesity. Trust me: if you make this recipe for stuffed shells andMy other pasta recipesAnd enter the ingredients. You then use their ingredients to make other American pasta recipes (I'd like to link to a few, but pointing out the wrong recipe is no good) and overall the taste, nutrition and calories just don't compare to the final dish's healthiness and quality.
What is a stuffed shell called in Italian?
italian name isplush shell,Literally stuffed shells! To be honest, growing up, we never experienced anything like this. This is a new pasta trend that we learned from my mom growing up in Italy. My mom doesn't like them as much as I do, but then again, she's not a huge fan of lasagna! oops!
What are baked stuffed shells?
My inner grammar geek wants to say it should be "What are baked stuffed shells?" but that's not what people ask! As mentioned above, baked stuffed shells are more of an American-Italian dish, but you can stuff themmuffIRavioli, For example. In this recipe we have classic ricotta and spinach, but minced meat or cottage cheese are also popular.
So why am I calling it Italian when it's an American dish? Because the way it is made is Italian. The sauce is an authentic Italian tomato sauce and the filling is exactly the same as our other pasta fillings; You understand.
What to serve stuffed shells with?
knife and fork! ! Seriously, if you want to serve stuffed scallops the Italian way, absolutely NO! Pasta dishes, whether spaghetti with a simple tomato sauce, lasagna, ravioli or stuffed shells,no wayServe with accompaniments! It's one of those things that makes me shudder when I see suggestions to serve pasta with green beans or chicken! these people need my friendAlai Gambini's books:No tomato sauce on the spaghetti!I hope it becomes a New York Times bestseller because everyone should read this book!
Can stuffed shells be frozen after baking?
You can certainly freeze stuffed shells after or even before baking! They freeze great! If you want to bake them, let them thaw in the fridge to come to room temperature, then bake them as per the recipe below.
Armed with this information, let's take a look at the recipe for stuffed scallops. Yes, the recipe is a little intimidating when you see all the ingredients in different parts, but it's pretty easy for a child to follow if you follow it step by step! The full printable recipe is below.
Stuffed pasta shells with spinach, ricotta, and homemade tomato sauce
Christina Conte's recipe (family recipe) for 8 servings
(As with all my recipes, the quality of the ingredients is key. For best results, try using the brands I specify.)
Homemade tomato sauce
set upthis recipeExcept for cooking tomatoes in a deep pot for about 45 minutes.
Ricotta and spinach filling
First, put the spinach in a pot, add a little water and steam for about 5 minutes. Drain and cool, then squeeze any remaining liquid from the spinach and place in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, eggs, salt and pepper and mix. At this point, add the crumbled mozzarella cheese if using it.
Beckham sauce (white).
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and mix well. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 to 4 minutes, but don't let it brown. (It's important to cook the flour, because if it's not cooked long enough, the sauce will take on a "raw flour" taste.)
Pour the milk into an easy-pouring jug and add a little milk. The milk should start bubbling and steaming immediately, if not, increase the heat slightly. Once the milk starts to sizzle, start adding little by little, stirring quickly to make the sauce smooth.
The secret to a white sauce that does not cause lumps is to gradually increase the amount of milk added with each addition; if you add too much at once, especially in the beginning, you'll likely end up with a lumpy sauce (this can be completely fixed with an immersion blender)!
Start with about 2 tablespoons of milk, then add another 2 tablespoons and a little more each time. As the sauce begins to form, you can gradually add more milk. Just make sure all the milk has been absorbed after each addition before adding another.
When the sauce is ready, season with salt, nutmeg and white pepper, then remove from heat and cover.
Spaghetti
partially cookedscallop pasta;I undercooked them, so if you bite into the noodles, they should be medium-done. Reserve about 2 cups of pasta water, then drain most of the remaining water and immediately add cold water to cover the shells. This is to stop them from cooking further.
Assembling stuffed shells
Now you can proceed to assemble the stuffed shells. Put a little sauce on the bottom of the potlarge rectangular baking dish(You may also need a different tray.) Grab the shells with a spoon and fill them with a little ricotta and spinach filling.
Arrange the shells on the tray and continue filling with the rest of the shells until all are used up. Place leftovers in another tray if needed. At this point, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Heat the béchamel sauce, if it is too hard, gradually pour over the baking sheet with the eggshell filling. Instead of pouring the white sauce on the tray, in this photo you can see how much I poured on the shells.
In a bowl, mix some water with tomato paste. Now put the sauce on the stuffed shells, but again, do not overload them.
Finally, pour about a cup of pasta water between the shells to keep them cooking in the oven.
Bake stuffed shells
Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, then cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and aluminum foil. Put in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, then remove the paper and foil, checking that the filled shells are not too dry (if so, add more pasta water).
Continue to bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, then remove from oven, line with parchment paper and foil and bake for about 10 more minutes to allow the filled shells to absorb more liquid. This will also help them stay together while cutting. (There must be parchment under the foil so that the ketchup doesn't "eat" the foil and swallow it, which is not good.)
serve
Serve the stuffed shells warm.
too delicious! Tell me what you think! I wish you a big appetite!
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Stuffed shells (ricotta and spinach recipe)
give:8
Preparation time:40 minutes
Baking time:35 minutes
total time:1 hour 15 minutes
Recipe for stuffed shells with ricotta, spinach and homemade pasta sauce.
raw material
nutritious
- 2 cups (16 ounces) of good quality ricotta cheese (e.g. Grande or one from an Italian deli) I don't like most major store brands like Polly-O and Frigo :(
- 12 ounces (3/4 bag) frozen, chopped organic spinach (or 2 bunches fresh spinach, washed and chopped)
- 1 egg (free range)
- (optional: 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
sauce (white)
- 1/2 ounce (1/8 stick) butter, such as Kerrygold
- 1 ounce (just under 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole milk (preferably room temperature, although the "right" way is warm).
- 1/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt (to taste at the end)
- pinch of nutmeg
- a pinch of white pepper
Spaghetti
- A 12oz box of jumbo spaghetti shells (or cannelloni tubes) made in Italy
- shells cooked in salt
Homemade pasta sauce (instructions are in the recipe link)
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) or Pecorino Romano sprinkled with scallops
teach
Oven temperature: 375°F (190°C)
Homemade tomato sauce
To make the instant noodle sauce (search my website for the recipe), in addition to a deep pot, simmer the tomatoes for about 45 minutes.
nutritious
- First, put the spinach in an airtight pot, add a little water and steam for about 5 minutes. Drain and cool, then squeeze any remaining liquid from the spinach and place in a large bowl.
- Add the ricotta, eggs, salt and pepper and mix.
sauce (white)
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and mix well. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 to 4 minutes, but don't let it brown. (It's important to cook the flour, because if it's not cooked long enough, the sauce will take on a "raw flour" taste.)
- Pour the milk into an easy-pouring jug and add a little milk. The milk should start bubbling and steaming immediately, if not, increase the heat slightly. Once the milk starts to sizzle, start adding little by little, stirring quickly to make the sauce smooth.
- The secret to a white sauce that does not cause lumps is to gradually increase the amount of milk added with each addition; if you add too much at once, especially in the beginning, you'll likely end up with a lumpy sauce (this can be completely fixed with an immersion blender)!
- Start with about 2 tablespoons of milk, then add another 2 tablespoons and a little more each time. As the sauce begins to form, you can gradually add more milk. Just make sure all the milk has been absorbed after each addition before adding another.
- When the sauce is ready, season with salt, nutmeg and white pepper, then remove from heat and cover.
Spaghetti
- Partially cook the pasta shells; I undercooked them, so if you bite into them, they should be medium rare.
- Reserve about 2 cups of pasta water, then drain most of the remaining water and immediately add cold water to cover the shells. This is to stop them from cooking further.
installation
- Spoon some sauce into the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish. Now you can fill the shells. Grab the shells with a spoon and fill them with a little ricotta and spinach filling.
- Arrange the shells on the tray and continue filling with the rest of the shells until all are used up. If the larger tray does not fit, you may need another, smaller dish. At this point, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Heat the béchamel sauce, if it is too hard, gradually pour over the baking sheet with the eggshell filling. Don't let the white sauce flood the tray. Add some pasta water to the pasta sauce in the bowl. Now, put the pasta sauce on the shells, but again, do not overload the shells.
- Finally, pour about a cup of pasta water between the shells to keep them cooking in the oven.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese and cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil (if the foil is in contact with the sauce, put a layer of parchment paper first so that the tomato sauce does not "eat up" the foil).
- Put in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, then remove the foil and check if the crust is too dry (if it looks like that, add more pasta water). Continue to bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, replace the parchment and foil and bake for about 10 more minutes to allow the crust to absorb more liquid. This will also help them stay together while cutting.
Serve hot with pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach.
notes
Contrary to most North American and British beliefs, dishes such as stuffed pasta, lasagna and kebab do not go well with anything else. That's right, no extras. So if you want a more authentic Italian taste, serve it on a plate without anything else. Then you can enjoy a salad as is usually done in Italy.
Nutritional information:
give:8Serving Size:4 shells
Amount per serving:Calorie:Chapter 414Total Fat Content:14 gramsSaturated fat:6 gramsTrans fats:0 gramsUnsaturated fat:8 gramscholesterol:51 mgsodium:713 mgcarbohydrate:32 gramsfiber:4 gramssugar:6 gramsprotein:15 grams
Nutritional information is an estimate only (does not include mozzarella cheese).
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