Stuffed Shells

When I was younger, I always wanted my mom to make Manicotti for my birthday. Now that I'm older, I realize what a pain in the butt it must have been! That's why moms are the best, right? :) She made it for me because she knew I loved it and never let on how much work it was to make. I will have to return the favor and make this recipe for her one day! :) This one is a lot easier to make because I used large shells instead of the Manicotti tubes. Here's what I did...


For the filling:


-15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
-10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-3 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
-1/3 cup of grated parmesan
-4 to 5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
-a small handful of parsley, chopped
-1/4 tsp of grated or ground nutmeg
-the zest and juice of 1 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste


Other ingredients:

-large shells (allow 4 per person)
-red sauce of your choice
-a ball of mozzarella, thinly sliced (use a serrated knife, it works better)
-grated parmesan
-2 TBS butter
-2 TBS flour
-1 1/2 cups of warmed milk
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste


*This recipe has 2 sauces: a white sauce (AKA bechamel) and a red sauce. If you don't have time to make the white sauce, go ahead and leave it out. But I do recommend trying this with the white sauce because it does add a richness to the dish.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a large casserole dish with Pam and set aside. In a large stock pot, bring the water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta 5-6 minutes, drain and let cool. (You only want to cook the pasta halfway because it will continue cooking in the oven. Also, when you drain the pasta and let it cool, do NOT rinse the pasta off with cold water. This will wash away the starch and your sauce will have nothing to stick to.) Meanwhile, add all of the filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. In medium non-stick saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Let the flour and butter cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Allow the sauce to come up to a bubble over medium heat, whisking often. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more milk. Turn off the heat and stir in a generous handful of parmesan cheese. Pour the sauce into the prepared casserole dish. When the shells have cooled, begin stuffing them with about a tablespoon of mixture or until the shell is filled. As you fill them, place them into the casserole dish on top of the bechamel sauce. Once you fill the casserole dish, pour the red sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Top with the sliced mozzarella and some parmesan. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. After that, turn on the broiler and brown the cheese for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

I can see this recipe turning into one of our favorites. It's simple to put together, but looks like it took all day to make. It's rich and full of flavor and best of all, full of cheese! :) You can definitely play around with the flavors, though. Try sausage, arugula (a leafy green with a pepper-y taste), and sauteed onions or spinach and artichoke with the ricotta cheese. I would love to hear any flavor combination that you try! Enjoy!