Festive Christmas Stuffed Pasta (Print Version)
Jumbo shells stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and cranberries in tomato sauce.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta & Filling
01 - 20 jumbo pasta shells
02 - 2 cups ricotta cheese
03 - 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
04 - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
05 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
07 - 1 egg
08 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
09 - 1 garlic clove, minced
10 - 1/2 tsp salt
11 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
→ Sauce
12 - 2 cups tomato passata or marinara sauce
13 - 1 tbsp olive oil
14 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
15 - 1 garlic clove, minced
16 - Pinch of red pepper flakes
17 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Garnish
18 - Fresh basil leaves
19 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
02 - Cook the pasta shells in salted boiling water until al dente; drain and set aside on a kitchen towel to cool.
03 - In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until softened. Add passata or marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
04 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped cranberries, egg, nutmeg, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until well incorporated.
05 - Spread half the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large ovenproof baking dish.
06 - Fill each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture using a spoon. Arrange the filled shells in the dish.
07 - Pour remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle extra Parmesan on top.
08 - Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.
10 - Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cranberries burst with tart sweetness that cuts through rich cheese like a carol through winter silence
- Leftovers taste even better the next day when flavors have had time to become proper friends
02 -
- Overcooking the shells before filling makes them tear apart so easily that you will want to cry
- Room temperature filling mixture is much easier to work with than cold from the fridge
03 -
- Use a piping bag for filling shells if you want restaurant worthy neatness
- Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving so the filling sets slightly