Spinach & ricotta stuffed pasta shells are nestled in a robust tomato sauce for a rustic, wholesome meal that’s so good you won’t even miss the meat.
Although this recipe has a few steps: cooking the pasta, making the filling & the chunky tomato sauce, it’s relatively easy, requires no kitchen mastery, easy to access ingredients & can be made ahead & frozen. All pluses in my book. Just a word about the nutrition count: I’m at the mercy of a program that is included with the recipe template I use. Sadly it can’t always distinguish the imperial, metric & cup measure given & will add them together. The calorie count, carbs etc, are much lower than the recipe will have you believe, if you’re into counting calories that is. Barilla pasta give the calories on five jumbo pasta shells as 170. And my serving is two or three per serve. Cream is 20 to 50 calories per serve, depending on whether you’re serving four or 5. Ricotta cheese is about 140 calories per serving (per serving, not shell). And such, so you can see that I estimate the calories about 380 to 430 for three shells.
Granted filled pasta shells are nothing new but this recipe is excellent, something I think people will make again & again because it is so good. Fairly humble in its ingredients it tastes like something you’d order at an Italian restaurant.
I was avoiding pasta for the longest time during my countless on again off again low carb phases. Since I’ve stopped all the crazy dieting & I’ve cut back on meat, I’ve found I’m cooking more & more from scratch & enjoying a wider varieties of meals, including pasta. I still eat meat once in awhile but I try to source it locally from farms that raise their animals in an ethical, comfortable way. It costs a little more to buy but considering my hubby & I aren’t consuming meat every day I found I’m saving on our grocery bill.
These are the pasta shells I used but use whatever jumbo shells are available. And whilst the recipe only calls for 15 shells, cook the whole packet or box. There were 18 shells in the packet I bought & I did cook them all but a few tore because they stuck to the bottom of the pot – thankfully I was left was 15.
I’ve made this recipe twice in the last week & it’s true what I said, you don’t miss the meat (if you’re a meat-eater). I’m married to a Mid Western boy who loves his steak & he thoroughly enjoyed this with a simple salad & crusty, homemade bread. It’s such a delicious meal whether you’re making dinner for your family or entertaining. Give it a crack & let me know what you think. Until next time, toodles, Lovoni xo. Oh & if you love to make your own pasta, then check out this Walnut Oregano Pesto with Homemade Pasta recipe.
a pinterest pic to share
- SPINACH & RICOTTA FILLING
- 15 jumbo pasta shells (cook some extra in case some fall apart)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 generous handfuls baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt & pepper
- 1.3 oz (36g) freshly grated parmesan (about 1 cup)
- CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (chili flakes)
- 2 x 14 oz (398ml) cans whole peeled tomatoes, not drained
- pinch of salt, pepper & sugar
- 1.3 oz (36g) freshly grated parmesan (about 1 cup)
- To make the filling: Cook the pasta shells according to package directions. Drain them & rinse them under cool water so they won’t stick together. Tossing them in olive oil will also help to prevent them sticking. I always cook a few extra (there was 18 in the packet) two or 3 of them sometimes fall apart.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion & cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic & cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add spinach & cook, stirring until spinach is just wilted; remove from heat & let cool. Don’t overcook the spinach, doing that makes it lose water. Cook spinach until just wilted & immediately remove from the heat.
- Combine ricotta, cream, egg, nutmeg, salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Add spinach mixture & parmesan & stir until well combined. The mixture is quite wet, a bit like a cake batter.
- To make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm) baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic & cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomato paste & cook, stirring for 1 minute to cook the paste.
- Add red pepper & tomatoes with their juice. Use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to break up tomatoes, leaving some chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened a little. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper & sugar.
- Spread approximately 2/3 of the mixture over the base of the baking dish. Spoon filling into each pasta shell & arrange in a single layer on the tomato sauce, using some of the tomato chunks to help the shells stand upright. Dollop remaining tomato sauce around & on top of filled shells. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown & sauce is bubbling.
- Serve with a tossed salad & crusty bread.
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