Imagine lasagna being turned inside out to form cute pockets stuffed with creamy, garlicky ricotta and cream cheese, which are then slathered in tomato sauce for an impressive dinner with friends or family. That’s the beauty of stuffed shells. It’s got the simplicity of a one-pan baked dinner while also adding a little sophistication to your table. We know you’ll fall in love with this recipe that’s as great or a family dinner as it is for a date night. Read on for our tips for making you stuffed shells the best they can be:
How to make the best stuffed shells:
—The pasta. Like in many other baked pasta recipes, you’re going to want to severely under-cook your pasta—we’re talking before al dente. Remember, these will cook in the pot and in the oven, so pulling them earlier is better so they don’t end up falling apart.
—The filling. Everything is all going to melt together anyway, but to make your filling easier to pipe, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. Important: Salt is salt, but Pecorino or any hard grating cheese used in the filling here is also salt. Make sure you’re comfortable with the seasoning by tasting as you add each ingredient PRIOR to adding the egg. Don’t have a piping bag for filling the shells? No worry—create a makeshift one by snipping the corner off a plastic resealable bag. To prevent spillage, either fill two medium bags or use a rubber band to seal off the end. To fill the shells, hold one shell in your non-dominant hand while applying pressure and piping with your dominant hand. Don’t worry if it’s a little messy—no one will know under all the cheese.
—The sauce. We used a batch of our marinara sauce as the base of this dish, but you’re welcome to use your favorite store-bought pasta sauce brand to make things easier. If you go for the former, make sure to follow the instructions for adding additional water to guarantee you have enough sauce for these shells. We like our sauce with a little texture, but feel free to use an immersion blender to blitz the sauce into a smoother consistency if you like too.
Storage:
We can’t imagine leftovers, but… when this happens, portion out the shells into individual containers and store in the freezer for lunch at the office, or consolidate into a smaller baking dish that you can pop in the oven to reheat for another dinner. Another idea is to freeze the filled, unbaked shells on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and store for a rainy day. Just assemble the casserole per the below instructions, making sure to add a bit of extra bake time to account for them being frozen.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
