Not the traditional stuffed pasta, nevertheless just as delicious
I love Italian food. Or at least what we know of Italian food. Since I am not of Italian descent, I cannot claim that what we know of Italian cuisine is true Italian cuisine. For the most part, I do adhere to the marinara sauce rule of thumb, but on occasion I like to move away from tradition and enjoy the beauty of the ingredients without the long hour stewing. Some of my favorite recipes are pasta with nothing more than roasted garlic, pepper, and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese. This recipe was no exception. Giving birth to the Tastiest Twist to Traditional Stuffed Pasta!
The issue was, how to get a stuffed shell served as minimalist as possible? My concerns were, I cannot toss this pasta as I would with other pasta. Would I make a mess in the pan? Would the stuffing come out? I had added eggs to the Ricotta mixture, so then, how do I finish cooking the shells so that the eggs cook, without covering the shells with sauce? Well, not to mention that I have never made stuffed shells before, this was no easy task.
Think, think, think . . .
Part of me wanted to stick to tradition and part of me wanted to try and experiment. Experimentation won. Why not? You cannot create the Tastiest Twist to Traditional Stuffed Pasta, if we follow tradition! We know that if I follow the recipe at the back of the Barilla, I would end up with great-tasting shells, but if I experiment and come up with a great-tasting variation, then now we have two great recipes to choose from!
Quick note, I am not yet affiliated with any brands. This means, I get no monetary compensation from mentioning Barilla, or whether any of my readers going to the Barilla website. I am mentioning Barilla because it is the brand I use often when I buy pasta, and I never have any issues with their quality. Although I never have used the recipes on the side of the box, I decided to do so this time, at least to get me started. The recipe is easy to follow and got me thinking about the marinara sauce, but in the end I decided to go my way on this one.
One thing I learned, which was reinforced while cooking another dish. I need a deep dish 9 x 13 pan. I have a 9 x 13 stoneware cookie/brownie pan which is shallow and it is not the right tool for this dish. Although the shallow pan I do have worked perfectly. It is nice to have the right tools for the job.
PrintNon-traditional Stuffed Pasta Shells
These shells are creamy stuffed with ricotta, Mozarella, and Parmesan cheeses, and basil, parsley, and spinach. They go well with either a creamy alfredo sauce or a spicy marinara. I chose a tomato/spinach wine sauce to accompany my shells.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Recipes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1 box of Barilla Jumbo Shells
1 ⅓ cup Ricotta cheese
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg
4 tbsp chopped parsley
1 ½ cup shredded spinach
2 cans of Diced Tomatoes
½ red onion, or small red onion (3 shallots would work well), sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, Pepper, and ground garlic to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Cook shells in boiling water. For about 9 minutes. Drain and cool on a sheet pan. Set aside.
- Mix the cheeses, egg, parsley, and ½ cup of shredded spinach. Add Salt, Pepper, and ground garlic to taste. Fill the shells.
- Grease a 9"x13" baking dish; open one can of tomatoes and spread on the bottom of the pan.
- Add Onions (or shallots) and garlic.
- Arrange stuffed shells (opening up), cover with the remaining tomatoes.
- Bake covered in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Notes
This recipe is an adaptation from the recipe on the box of the Barilla Jumbo Shells. I did not want a super saucy dish, rather a clean, rustic take.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 387
- Sugar: 9.4g
- Sodium: 1163.9mg
- Fat: 18.4g
- Carbohydrates: 21.1g
- Protein: 38.5g
- Cholesterol: 113.2mg
Keywords: Stuffed Pasta
Take backs
Although It came out with minimal sauce, the recipe is still not quite what I want it to be. I love the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar, contrasting with the acidity of the tomatoes. The creaminess of the Ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan was superb. The egg helped the mixture adhere to the pasta; this allowed for each bite to have enough stuffing.
I also had pulled the shells just under al dente, which helped since the pasta will bake for about 30 minutes in the oven. The pasta did get covered until the end, hence the golden crispy edges. With my most sincere honesty, I did not read the entire recipe card and missed that crucial part of the instructions. Still, I caught on to it and covered them for the second half of the cooking.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Since I made it my mind has been wrestling with possibilities of how to make this better and more like I really wanted to experience. So, expect a new variation to this soon to come. Until then, Keep the flame burning!
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