Tag Archives: Ricotta cheese

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

My cousin prepared this pasta dish using the recipe in my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook and sent me a photo of the results and I wanted to make stuffed shells ever since. Today’s cloudy, cold day was perfect for preparing this rich hearty dish.  Pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese.  No way you can go wrong!

I wanted extra sauce for another use so today I made a homemade tomato sauce using crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, and spices.  You can also use only canned stewed tomatoes as listed in the cookbook’s recipe below.  The sauce I made today is simple  to prepare and doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the pasta and the mild Ricotta cheese in the filling.  I had ground pork on hand so added meat to my sauce today.  Preparing the sauce and the pasta was the only prep required; i don’t count filling the pasta shells as prep because that is just way too much fun to do! Do thaw the frozen spinach before beginning, squeezing out the liquid, and by all means use blocks of Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, shredding and  grating them yourself for the best flavor.  Today I used manicotti shells and the recipe yielded 11 pieces as one of the shells tore beyond repair while boiling. Using large seashell pasta shells are also perfect for this recipe.

A simple green salad with early tender lettuce and garlic bread on the side complement this dish perfectly.  You’ll have supper ready in no time, a most satisfying and flavorful one, especially for a chilly spring evening.  Go Italian and enjoy these stuffed shells; I am sure that  your family will give you a big thumbs up!

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients

1-(10 oz.) box or pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 T. onion, minced
3 cups canned stewed tomatoes
1-(6 oz.) box jumbo macaroni shells, uncooked
Parmesan cheese, freshly-grated for garnish

Directions Preheat oven to 375. Cook the pasta shells according to package directions; drain and set aside. In large bowl, combine the thawed spinach, Ricotta cheese, Swiss cheese, and the onion; stir until well blended. Pour 1 cup of the stewed tomatoes over bottom of a 9×13″ glass baking dish. Fill the cooked pasta shells by dividing the spinach-cheese mixture into equal parts and pushing into the tube of each the pasta shell. Pour remaining stewed tomatoes around and over the filled shells. Cover dish with foil and bake approximately 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from oven and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.