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Posts Tagged ‘Stuffed pasta shells’

Baked Pasta Shells

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12 January 2025| Leave a Comment »

A vegetarian dish picked by Orlaith who wants to be a vegetarian for January – we’ll see how she goes! She wasn’t put off by this dish anyhow.

Wine Suggestion: A juicy, youthful Sangiovese or similar, like Umani Ronchi’s Serrano Rosso Conero which is a Montepulciano-Sangiovese blend. Bright, joyful red fruits with a smooth elegance and vivacity of youth.

Baked pasta shells – serves 4

  • 250g conchiglioni (big pasta shells)
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a bit extra
  • 400g baby spinach
  • 250g ricotta cheese
  • 200g Greek yoghurt
  • 30g grated Parmesan cheese,
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 x 700g jar of tomato passata

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 70g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 70g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted

Heat the oven to 170C.

Bring a large pan of very salty water to the boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for no more than 9 minutes – they need to be undercooked. Drain and cool under running cold water, then drain again and drizzle with a little oil to stop the shells sticking together, then set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool, then squeeze out any moisture and roughly chop it.

Put the chopped spinach into a large bowl with the ricotta, yoghurt, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, basil and nutmeg and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour half the passata over the bottom of a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the shells with the ricotta and spinach mixture, then add the shells to the dish on top of the sauce, stuffed side up. Pour over the rest of the passata and season with a little more salt and pepper.

Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and thyme in a small bowl, then pour over the melted butter and toss to combine. Sprinkle this over the top of the pasta, then bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden and the pasta is bubbling.

(Original recipe from Avoca at Home, Penguin Random House, 2022.)

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Conchiglioni Stuffed with Kale, Spinach and Ricotta

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

Who can resist a stuffed pasta shell? In this one the joy is the balance between fresh ricotta, iron-rich kale, and a rich tomato sauce.

Wine Suggestion: We’d suggest the open, accessability of a youthful Barbaresco from Piedmont, as opposed the depth and moodiness of a Barolo. We have at hand Pico Maccario’s rendition that has a sense of fun which is sometimes lost by winemakers trying to make the next best thing … and we applaud them; wine is to be drunk and enjoyed too.

Conchiglioni stuffed with kale, spinach and ricotta – serves 4

  • 250g kale, stalks removed
  • 100g spinach
  • 1 green chilli, roughly chopped
  • handful of parsley leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g ricotta
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • ½ nutmeg, grated
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 200g conchiglioni
  • 750ml slow-cooked tomato sauce
  • 125g ball of mozzarella

Blanch the kale in lots of salty boiling water, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and straight into a bowl of iced water. Repeat with the spinach but cook for just 30 seconds.

Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and kale and put into a food processor. Add the chilli and parsley, then whizz for a few seconds. Scrape out into a bowl and add the ricotta, 30g of the Parmesan, the numeg, and lemon zest. Stir well to combine, then transfer to a piping bag.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200 Fan/Gas 7.

Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes – it should be a little more than al dente. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.

Pour the tomato sauce into a medium-sized baking dish.

Pipe the kale mixture into the pasta shells and settle them snugly into the tomato sauce, pushing them down a little. Tear the mozzarella over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.

Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then serve with a green salad.

(Original recipe from Slow by Gizzi Erskine, HQ, 2018.)

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