As prepared here in the US, Stuffed Shells are, if anything, lighter than their continental Italian counterpart, conchiglioni ripieni al forno. The pasta called conchiglioni, usually marketed as “jumbo shells” here in the US, are filled with a ricotta cream enriched with mozzarella, napped with a simple marinara sauce and topped with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan before being baked in a hot oven.
The taste and texture of Stuffed Shells is vaguely reminiscent of lasagna but they’re much easier and quicker to make. And for those vegetarians out there, they have the merit of meatlessness—though there are variations for carnivores, too.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
250-300 g (9-10 oz) conchiglioni, aka jumbo shells
For the filling:
250 g (8 oz) ricotta cheese, well drained 75-100 g (2-1/2 to 3-1/2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1-2 eggs A sprig of parsley, finely minced Salt and pepper 150 g (5 oz) mozzarella, cut into small dice
To finish the dish:
1 batch of homemade marinara sauce Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, q.b. Olive oil Directions
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.
Notes on Stuffed Shells
As you can see, although it involves a few steps, the recipe for Stuffed Shells is actually quite easy. There aren’t too many pitfalls you need to worry about. First off, make sure you have the right pasta: conchiglioni or jumbo shells. Don’t confuse them with regular shells or even “large” shells, which are too small for filling. And as you prepare the dish, make sure that your ricotta is well drained—and your mozzarella too if you’re not using a low-moisture variety—or else your filling may turn out a bit watery. Conversely, your marinara should be left rather liquid, as it will evaporate as the shells bake. Add water to the sauce to loosen if need be before napping your shells. Otherwise, the recipe should be smooth sailing.
Variations
Although I’m quite partial to this meatless version of Stuffed Shells, as mentioned, if you’re a carnivore you can add some heft to the filling with bits of prosciutto or sausage meat, which you will have crumbled and lightly browned separately, folded in along with the mozzarella. And if you really want to gild the lily, use Sunday Sauce instead of the marinara, or perhaps a sugo di carne, to nap the shells. Curiously, as I alluded to at the top of the post, it’s the continental Italian recipes that call for these meaty versions. Italian-American sources usually keep things simple and meatless. That’s quite a switch. As I’ve written about before, it’s usually the Italian-American version of a dish that puts the emphasis on meat and other enrichments.
If you’re looking to lighten the dish, on the other hand, the filling is just fine without the mozzarella. Not all recipes for Stuffed Shells call for it but I quite like the richness mozzarella lends to the dish, without making it heavy in any way. Or you can lean into the vegetarian side of things and mix the ricotta cream with spinach as you do for a meatless cannelloni.
And, finally, some continental Italian recipes call for topping the shells with béchamel rather than a red sauce. This doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but if it does to you, enjoy!
Print Stuffed Shells Course Primo Cuisine Italian-American Keyword baked, pasta Total Time 1 hour Ingredients 250-300g (9-10 oz) conchiglioni, aka jumbo shells For the filling: 250g (8 oz) ricotta cheese well drained 75-100g (2-1/2 to 3-1/2 oz) Parmesan cheese freshly grated 1-2 eggs sprig of parsley finely minced Salt and pepper 150g (5 oz) mozzarella cut into small dice To finish the dish 1 batch homemade marinara sauce Parmesan cheese freshly grated olive oil Instructions 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.
The post Stuffed Shells (Conchiglioni ripieni al forno) appeared first on Memorie di Angelina.
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