Shells N Spinach Recipes

SHELLS WITH CRISPY PANCETTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the shells:
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.
• For the sauce:
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

CHEESY SPINACH-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente. Drain; rinse with cold water., Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir until vegetables are tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; cool slightly., In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta cheese, spinach, basil and pepper. Stir in olives, mushroom mixture and 3/4 cup each cheese blend and mozzarella cheese., Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Fill pasta shells with cheese mixture; place in baking dish, overlapping ends slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over top., Bake, covered, until heated through, 40-45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with additional basil.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with the oil and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside for making the Vodka Sauce. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well. Arrange the pasta in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• In a food processor, add the mushrooms and shallot and pulse until chopped into about 1/8-inch pieces. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach to the skillet and cover to allow the spinach to wilt, about 2 minutes more. Stir in the parsley and transfer to a large bowl.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, pine nuts, basil chiffonade, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine the cheese mixture with the mushroom mixture. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling.
• In the skillet where the mushrooms were cooked, add about 1 cup Vodka Sauce and spread it in an even layer. Arrange the stuffed shells in a circular pattern. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce, 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella in between and on top of the shells (leaving the tops of the shells mostly exposed). Cover and cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 10 minutes.
• Garnish with more Parmesan and basil leaves, and serve.
• In a large skillet over low heat, add the butter, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes, cream, vodka, tomato paste, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more reserved pasta water as needed.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

SPINACH-RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt. (You should have about 4 heaping cups of sauce.)
• Make the stuffed shells: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook as the label directs for baking, about 9 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Spread out on a baking sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a large plate lined with a kitchen towel. Squeeze to remove any excess liquid, then finely chop.
• Put the spinach in a large bowl and add the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, spread about half of the sauce in the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Evenly fill the shells with the spinach-ricotta mixture using a spoon, or pipe it in using a pastry bag. Arrange the shells side by side, open-side up, in the baking dish on top of the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake until heated through and the sauce is simmering around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until any shells or cheese poking through the sauce are lightly browned in spots, about 10 more minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

STUFFED SHELLS FILLED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Fill a bowl with ice water. Blanch the spinach for no more than 20 seconds, just until wilted, and transfer to the ice water, then drain. Squeeze out excess water. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the pasta shells. Cook al dente, about 10 minutes, and drain and toss with the olive oil. Set aside.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the spinach and pulse to chop finely. Add the ricotta and the egg and process until well blended. Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until well blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a large baking dish or two 2-quart dishes. The shells should fit into the dish in one layer. Fill each shell with a scant tablespoon of the filling. Arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with the tomato sauce and cover the dish with foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan, and serve.

SHELLS AND SHRIMP WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package; drain well.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, cook bread crumbs and butter over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until browned. Stir in parsley; remove from heat.
• In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crisp; remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon.
• In same skillet, cook onion and garlic in bacon drippings over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until onion is crisp-tender and starting to brown. Stir in wine and shrimp. Reduce heat to medium; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until shrimp begin to turn pink.
• Stir in half-and-half, Alfredo sauce, spinach, drained pasta and cooked bacon; cook until thoroughly heated and spinach is wilted. Serve shrimp mixture sprinkled with bread crumb mixture.

COTTAGE SHELLS 'N SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook macaroni as directed on package; drain.
• Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.
• Add macaroni; toss lightly.