Stuffed Shells With Ricotta and Spinach (By Gertc96 & 2bleu) |
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes |
Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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9/24/08: As the original recipe looked great in a magazine, it didn't fare well by us nor some reviewers, so we felt it needed a serious make-over. We asked our dear zaar buddy, Chef #279989, to help us reconstruct it. Chef #279989 is very creative and has some wonderful recipes of her own, so we knew it would be in good hands. The revision includes a different type of pasta, and the addition of mushrooms, bacon, mozarella, and egg. The other changes are more subtle and more to do with preparation. Gert suggests adding tomato sauce, but we may try it with alfredo sauce, or perhaps a bit of both. 9/27/08 - We made these for dinner tonight using tomato sauce and fresh spinach. We gave it 5 stars all-the-way! Buddha loved it as it, but for my tastes, I would omit the bacon. The filling really makes alot, but no worries, because you can bake the extra filling in a small casserole dish as it is outstanding! Kudos to you Gert, and thanks for turning a not-so-great recipe into a 5 star spectacular! Ingredients:
12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked al dente |
4 slices bacon, chopped |
1 tablespoon butter |
1/2 cup mushroom, chopped |
1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed of moisture (or use fresh) |
4 green onions, chopped |
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese |
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded |
1 egg |
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped |
1/2 tablespoon dried tarragon |
salt, to taste |
black pepper, to taste |
1 cup tomato sauce or 1 cup alfredo sauce |
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated |
Directions:
1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, fry bacon till crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.
2. Melt butter in the pan with the bacon grease. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute' until just soft.
3. Add spinach and green onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set spinach mixture into a mesh strainer to drain.
4. In large bowl, combine, ricotta, mozarella, egg, parsley, tarragon. Season with more salt/pepper to taste. Add spinach mixture to the ricotta mixture and mix well.
5. Spread tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon spinach/cheese mixture into the cooked shells. Place filled shells into the baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. NOTE: If you have leftover filling, place it in a ramekin or small baking dish and bake along side of the shells. It's delicious!
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