Stuffed Shells with Ricotta
servings
Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Ricotta are what's for dinner! Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a ricotta filling topped with a homemade marinara sauce are an easy meatless meal perfect for any weeknight.
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
Marinara Sauce
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, add more to taste, if desired
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Ricotta Cheese Filling
- 1 large egg beaten
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsely
Instructions
Marinara
- In a large skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, heat the 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the minced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add the 28 ounces tomato puree, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes, add the 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and stir well to incorporate. Ladle or carefully pour contents into the prepared baking dish. I like to put all of the sauce into the bottom of the pan and then place the shells in, but you can place some sauce on top if you'd like.
Shells
- When ready to make shells, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta shells according to package directions.
Ricotta Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the 15 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley. Mix well.
- Fill each shell with the ricotta filling and place into the baking dish.
- Cover the pan with tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the pan and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Notes
- Don't have apple cider vinegar, you can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
- If you choose to cover the the shells with a bit of sauce before baking and want to add additional mozzarella on top, remove the tin foil after 30 minutes. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella over the shells, and return to oven to bake uncovered for another 5 – 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1297mg | Potassium: 777mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1409IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 501mg | Iron: 3mg