Shrimp, spinach and ricotta cheese fill these pasta shells and are covered in a red sauce
INGREDIENTS:
Shells, 1 box of Jumbo
Ricotta cheese, 2 Cups…be brave and try to make your own or buy a ready made ricotta which is really good too. The step by step simple directions are on this blog.
Spinach, 2 cups fresh chopped
Shrimp
Spaghetti sauce, recipe below, or your home made or use a large jar of store bought and doctor it up.
Meat, 4 pounds of ground meat or a combination of meat, veal and pork.
Mozzarella cheese, 1 cup shredded over the top
Fresh ground pepper and salt
DIRECTIONS FOR THE FILLING:
Ricotta cheese, basil, garlic and fresh spinach
Basil, I am blessed to use fresh from my garden in the summer and I freeze it to use all winter, but you can buy fresh in the grocery store now, but if you can’t find it resort to dry in a bottle.
Fresh Spinach, 2 heaping cups
Fresh ground pepper 2 Tablespoons
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Red wine
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:
Below is my recipe for homemade sauce, but to be honest with you, if you add Oregano, Basil, 2 garlic cloves and Thyme with a 1/2 cup of good red wine to bottled sauce, no one will know you did not take you all day to make it. But if you want to do it the old fashioned way like I do, here you go…
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 large Onions, diced
4 medium stalks Celery, diced
3 Carrots, diced
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 1/2 Red Bell Peppers, diced
2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
1 pound Ground Veal
1 pound Ground Pork
3 – 28 ounce can of Crushed Tomatoes (I prefer Italian San Marzano tomatoes. To me, they are sweeter and seem less acidic. They are marketed under several brand names with the San Marzano tomato identified on the label. Your favorite tomato brand will do just fine.)
(The amounts of the below ingredients are approximations and are added in increments throughout the cooking process. Let your taste buds guide you.)
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons Pepper, freshly ground
2 Tablespoons Oregano
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Basil
2 teaspoons Majoram
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1/2 bunch Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
2 cup Red Wine
PASTA: One box of jumbo shells
As you probably know, if you have been following me me for any time at all…I have been cooking since the day that man first stepped foot on the moon. I know…kind of scary. I got married very young at 17 because I fell head over heals with a gorgeous Marine…and here we are 45 years later. Not exactly the fairy tale story…but then again, that does not exist for anyone. However, I can say that a marriage who is determined to stick it out in the good times and in the more times that are bad…reaps many rewards year after year…and I can say with all assurance that time is on our side. Meaning…when we put time into something precious, we will reap huge rewards.
I don’t know why I have never attempted to make stuffed shells before, but I do know that it is waaaaay past time that I do. I wanted my own stamp on the dish, so I decided to add shrimp and homemade ricotta cheese and a homemade spaghetti sauce. We were all extremely pleased with the results. The velvety creamy ricotta pared beautifully with the full body flavor of the spaghetti sauce and delicate bite of tender shrimp. It’s really a fairly easy dish to make, and as I discovered…perfect to make for someone else or to freeze.
Jumbo Shells
Drain off water after cooking
Cook them according to the directions on the box, except for a shorter time, because you will be heating it up in the oven and they will continue cooking…then drain them in a colander.
The sauce is made and the pasta shells are cooked and set aside. My homemade sauce is on this blog, but if you are in a hurry buy a jar and add red wine and herbs.
My homemade spaghetti sauce with sausage
The spaghetti sauce is made and I added 6 cooked Italian sausage to the sauce, just because my husband “needs” meat with his pasta.
Bring water to a boil and add, 3 whole bay leaf, salt, pepper, basil and parsley.
Shrimp cooked
Drain and set in the fridge to cool.
Fresh Baby Spinach
Chopped
We made our own ricotta
The easy recipe to make this is also on my blog, but if you don’t have the time use store bought.
It’s creamy and easy to make
With a taste like creamy butter
Combine the spinach and ricotta
Combine the Ricotta Cheese, with the chopped fresh spinach and fresh chopped basil, salt and pepper.
Again I’m making a double batch
Sauce on the bottom of the baking dish
Both are ready for the next step
Obviously, I am cooking for a group, but you can make only one dish or a double amount and freeze one for later…that is the beauty of this meal.
Fill the cooked shell with ricotta, and spinach. The Ricotta cheese mixture goes into the shell first and then as many shrimp as you want to add. There are about 5 shrimp in each shell.
Pretty isn’t it?
Stuff it however best it works for you…using as many or little shrimp as you like.
Lay the stuffed shells on top of the spaghetti sauce.
Continue filling the shells
until they are all filled.
Cover with more spaghetti sauce
I added sausage to this baking dish and then more sauce
Cover with additional sauce and 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese.
Add one cup of grated mozzarella cheese
Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Serve with garlic bread and a green salad and you will have happy, happy people around your table. This is heartwarming food…brings me back to the wonderful days when my husbands Italian mother fixed dinner for us…just a little upscale using the shrimp. The sauce is exactly the same, so the aromas in the kitchen bring me back in time to a wonderful place. The shells are firm, yet tender, and the shrimp is delicate and pares wonderfully with the spinach and basil.
This is really a great dish.
