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+ servings

Baked shells

Spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shells, nestled into a classic pomodoro sauce, topped with mozzarella and baked until golden and bubbling. Say less!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy recipe, pasta bakes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the filling

  • Approx 400g spinach or kale and spinach mix – should yield 200g once blanched
  • 500 g smooth ricotta
  • Salt and pepper

For the pomodoro sauce

  • 4-5 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 garlic cloves whole and lightly smashed
  • A couple of sprigs of fresh basil leaves removed, stalks reserved
  • 2 x 400g cans whole and peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • Salt to taste

You’ll also need

  • 350 g Conchiglione (approx) these are the large pasta shells readily available at most supermarkets
  • 60 g low hydration mozzarella the kind you can grate, for baking

Instructions

For the filling/stuffed shells

  • Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil – season generously with salt.
  • Blanch the spinach/greens for a minute before placing into a bowl of iced water.
  • Squeeze as much excess water out from the greens and place into a food processor, along with the ricotta and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper – blitz until combined and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
  • In the same pot of water you used to blanch the greens – cook the pasta a few minutes less than packet instructions – you don’t want to overcook this.
  • Drain the pasta and lay the shells out on a clean tea towel to cool.

For the pomodoro sauce

  • Meanwhile, make the pomodoro sauce. In a skillet (if you don’t have a skillet or pan that’s suitable for stovetop and oven cooking, you can cook the pomodoro in something else and transfer to a baking dish later on), heat the olive oil and throw in the garlic cloves and the basil stalks (because why waste them?) – gently allow them to infuse the oil.
  • Once fragrant, add the San Marzano tomatoes – being careful as they’ll splutter aggressively once they make contact with the hot oil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cover partially.
  • When the tomatoes have fallen in on themselves (about 30 minutes), season the sauce to taste with salt. If your tomatoes are tart, you can also add a sprinkle of sugar to help balance.
  • Add whole basil leaves to the sauce and let both their scent and flavour gently perfume the tomatoes. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Assembly and baking

  • Preheat your oven to 200c (180c fan forced).
  • Place the filling into a piping bag if you have one, or simply use a tablespoon, then fill each shell until it has a little pot-belly of filling.
  • Line the shells atop of the pomodoro sauce in your oven-safe dish or skillet until you can’t fit any more – making sure they are all nestled in nicely.
  • Top with grated mozzarella, cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.
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