Baked Stuffed Shells Conchiglie Ripiene Al Forno Food

CONCHIGLIONI RIPIENI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Combine the cheeses, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
• Stir together until completely combined.
• Cook pasta.
• Ensure that pasta water has olive oil to keep the shells from sticking to one another.
• Stir frequently while cooking.
• Ladle 2 cups of sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
• Stuff each shell with roughly 1-2 tablespoons of filling.
• Arrange the stuffed shells carefully in the pan.
• Bake stuffed shells at 375F for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
• Repeat with a second pan, or in a freezer tin.

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for half the cooking time on the package; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Romano, parsley, basil, egg, some salt and pepper and half of the Parmesan. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with some sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture and place face-down on the sauce. Repeat with the shells until the cheese mixture is gone. Top the shells with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on the mozzarella and extra Parmesan.
• Bake until hot and bubbly, 25 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Prepare the marinara sauce, following the recipe in our Tomato Sauce 101 post, leaving it a bit looser than you would normally.
• Boil the shells in well salted water until only three-quarters cooked.
• While the shells are cooking, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, parsley, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl until you have a smooth cream. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Then fold in the cubed mozzarella.
• When the shells are done, drain them and lay them out to cool on a backing rack or on a kitchen towel.
• When the shells are cool enough to handle, fill them with the ricotta and mozzarella mixture. You can do this by pinching them top and bottom until they open slightly, then plop in a generous spoonful of the filling with a spoon. Repeat with all your shells.
• Line the bottom of a baking dish (or individual baking dishes as pictured in this post) with a bit of the marinara sauce. Place the stuffed shells on top, open side up, then nap the shells with more marinara sauce. Top the shells with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and drizzled them all over with olive oil.
• Bake in a hot (200C/400F) oven for 20-30 minutes, until the shells are cooked through and nicely browned on top.
• Let the baked stuffed shells rest for 5 minutes or so before serving, with more marinara on the side for those who want some.