4 Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Creamy Tomato Sauce

4 Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Creamy Tomato Sauce



Prep Time: 30 Min

Cook Time: 70 - 75 Min

 

1. Fill a large sauce pot with cold water and set to medium high heat. Once boiled, salt heavily and add the jumbo shells. Stir and cook to al dente according to package directions. Strain and rinse under cold water / drop into an ice bath to cease further cooking. Set aside until needed.

 

1. Begin melting the butter for the sauce in a medium sized sauce pot set to just below medium heat. Once bubbly, add the pepper flakes and garlic. Let that sizzle away for roughly a minute before stirring in the carrots, onions, and celery along with a good pinch of sea salt. Stir and cook 5 or so minutes until veggies have cooked down a bit.

 

1. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes rinsing out the can and pouring it into the sauce as well. Once the sauce begins to boil, add the 1 Tsp. of sea salt, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce followed by pouring in half the cream, blending, and then adding the remaining cream if desired. Blend everything until smooth and set aside.

 

                     Grocery List

• 2x 340g Jumbo Shells

    RICOTTA FILLING

• 2x 475g Ricotta Cheese
• 6 cloves Garlic, crushed & pressed
• 2 Large Free Range Eggs
• 2 C Mozzarella, shredded
• 1 ½ C Extra Old Cheddar, shredded
• ¼ C Feta Cheese, crumbled
• 1 Lemon, zested
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt / Cracked Pepper
• 2 Tsp. Dried Parsley
• 1 Tsp. Italian Seasonings
• 4 C Fresh Spinach, packed

(1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes, EVOO, Sea Salt / Cracked Pepper)
                CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

• ¼ C Unsalted Butter
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 stalks Celery, chopped
• 1 Carrot, peeled & chopped
• 1 Heaping Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 796ml can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 C Whipping Cream
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
• ½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

​

1. In the meantime, preheat a nonstick frying pan to just below medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO, ½ tsp. pepper flakes, the 4C spinach, and a good pinch of salt / pepper. Cover and cook for 2 – 3 minutes before removing the cover, stirring, and continuing to cook until spinach has wilted. Remove spinach from the pan and allow it to cool while you prepare the filling for the shells.

 

1. Combine the ricotta, garlic, eggs, cheddar, feta, lemon zest, salt, pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, and 1 ½ C mozzarella reserving the rest. Stir to combine fully. Roughly chop the cooked spinach and fold it into the ricotta filling.

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

 

1. Use a spoon to stuff the filling into the shells making sure they are crammed full of the delicious filling. Continue until all the filling has been used, approximately 36 – 45 shells.

 

1. Ladle some sauce into the base of both dishes, tilting the dishes to ensure the sauce coats the entire bottom of the pan. Place the shells filled side up into the dish in rows, nestling them into the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Once both dishes are filled with shells, ladle sauce over the shells in a row leaving parts of them exposed. Sprinkle the reserved mozzarella over the shells.

 

1. Cover the dishes and place them into the oven to bake. Bake 30 minutes covered, remove cover and continue baking 10 – 15 minutes until bubbly and delicious.

 

1. For service, enjoy a few shells with any reserved sauce and top with optional garnishes like fresh herbs, grated parm, and / or EVOO. ENJOY!