Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter, to grease baking dish
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, chopped and divided
- 1 zucchini, cut into cubes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped and divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 egg
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided
- ½ 12-ounce package jumbo pasta shells (about 18 shells)
- cups Italian crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
- 4 ounces coarsely grated fontina cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a deep 9 by a 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with butter and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté half of the onions, and zucchini (if using) for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of garlic and cook 20-30 seconds. Season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and ½ cup parmesan cheese; mix well to combine.
- Add the pasta shells to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cold running water. Set aside.
- Stuff the pasta shells with the ricotta mixture and place them in the prepared dish.
- In a large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the remaining chopped onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and cook until fragrant about 20-30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and salt + black pepper, cook for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the sauce is reduced in volume by about 1/3, about 10-15 minutes. Add the basil to the sauce and pour the sauce over the shells.
- Sprinkle the fontina and the remaining Parmesan cheese all over the stuffed shells. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!