Stuffed Shells. Taste Delicious, Italian-Inspired Pasta Recipes From Classico. Believe it or not, I was able to reduce the fat, and it still came out delicious. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Make a double batch and keep one in the freezer for a handy potluck dish. Ree's Cheese-Stuffed Shells are easy to make and freezer friendly. Giada's stuffed pasta shell dish will impress a crowd for lunch or dinner. You can have Stuffed Shells using 14 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Stuffed Shells

It's 16 of jumbo pasta shells.
It's 2 of small onions.
Prepare 1 stick of butter/margarine.
It's 2 of egg whites (or 1/3 cup egg beaters or equivalent).
It's 15 ounce of skim milk ricotta.
You need 8 ounce of bag part skim mozzarella.
You need 1/2 cup of parmesan or romano cheese.
It's 1/2 tsp. of sugar.
It's 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder.
You need 1/8 tsp. of salt x2.
It's 1/8 tsp. of pepper.
Prepare 1/4 bag of spinach (2 oz.).
It's 2 (28 oz.) of can Redpack crushed tomatoes (or 2 cans plum tomatoes).
Prepare 1 Tbsp. of dried basil.

A creamy blend of cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs is seasoned with garlic powder, oregano and parsley, then stuffed into magnificent jumbo shells of pasta. While pasta is cooking, mix the filling. Combine ricotta cheese, egg, herbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and seasoning in a mixing bowl. This Classic Stuffed Shells Recipe couldn't be easier to put together!

Stuffed Shells instructions

Get the sauce cooking. Melt butter/margarine in medium pot (or slow cooker) on LOW HEAT, mince onions as fine as possible and add to pot with the butter. Let simmer for 2 minutes to blanch onions..
Mix dried basil with a 1/4 cup of water and microwave in a cup for 45 seconds. This will make a basil "tea". Strain and add basil "tea" to the sauce..
Add cans of tomatoes, basil "tea", pepper, sugar and 1/8 tsp. salt to pot and let simmer at least an hour (or two). Add more sugar if you like it sweeter..
Boil the shells and let cool being careful not to get them torn up..
Mix thourloughly the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, garlic powder, 4 oz. mozzarella and cleaned spinach (remove the stems!). I used about a quarter of a bag of spinach..
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add several ladles of the tomato sauce to a casserole dish. Stuff the shells with cheese mixture and line the casserole dish with stuffed shells..
Pour a few more ladles of the tomato sauce over the shells. Cover the dish with foil, poke a hole in the middle to vent. Be careful not to let the tomato sauce get on the foil as it will dissolve the foil! Bake covered for 40 minutes..
Uncover and top cooked shells with the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Cook another 10 minutes..
Let cool 5 minutes then serve!.
I've also made this by adding a half pound of hot sausage (or ground beef or even pepperoni) to the sauce. But, the vegetarian version is remarkable. The only really fattening part is the butter/margarine. I don't like using olive oil as it has a distinctly different taste than the more pungent flavor of butter/margarine. Feel free to use either parmesan or romano cheese. Pecorino romano is by far the best to use if you can..

Made with Ricotta, spinach, and Italian herbs and seasonings covered with marinara sauce and smothered in cheese. Ricotta stuffed shells are perfect for making ahead and make a great freezer meal to enjoy at a later time. Add in a side of garlic bread and a tossed salad for a delicious meal! This Italian-inspired dish includes Jumbo Shells pasta, which have been stuffed with a variety of ingredients and baked with sauce and cheese in a casserole dish. Reviews Log in to rate Stuffed Shell Recipe Variations.