Stuffed Shells - Conchiglie Ripiene al Forno

It had been several years since I last made stuffed shells, so I wanted to do a little research as to quantities. As my regular readers know, I hate food waste. I wanted to make 20 stuffed jumbo shells, and so I wanted to make exactly the amount of sauce and filling for those 20 shells. My research proved disappointing.

Most recipes I saw, including ones from companies that make jumbo shells, made far more filling than needed for the number of shells indicated. I remember one that made an enormous quantity of filling and then said to fill each shell with a level tablespoon! Well, I knew what I wanted to put in the filling, so I did my own math and got it right the first time.

I scaled down my basic marinara sauce to make exactly 3 1/2 cups so that there would be no leftover sauce either. Funny thing, too, was that the math on the Barilla box was wrong, too! The nutrition label on the 12-ounce box said "about 7 servings per container, serving size 5 pieces." On my planet, that adds up to 35 shells; there are actually 45 shells in a box.

Anyway ... This is my usual cheese-stuffed jumbo shells, which I really love. But next time I'm going to experiment with a sausage filling. What sort of fillings have you tried?

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Stuffed Shells

(Makes 20 stuffed jumbo shells)

The Shells

1/2 12-ounce box Barilla jumbo shells (about 44 in a box)

The Sauce

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (1.5 ounces/43 grams) finely minced onion
1/3 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) finely minced green bell pepper
1/3 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) finely minced peeled carrot
1 14.5-ounce can organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) drinkable dry red wine
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

The Cheese Filling

1 15-ounce container ricotta
1 firmly packed cup (4 ounces/113 grams) finely shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup (2 ounces/ grams) grated parmesan
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces/44 ml) milk

The Top

1/2 firmly packed cup (2 ounces/57 grams) finely shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup (1 ounce/28 grams) grated parmesan


1 Put the salted water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 quarts water, on to boil for cooking the shells according to package directions.

2 In 2-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion, bell pepper, and carrot until soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat to very low and simmer, loosely covered, for 45 minutes.

3 When shells are done, drain and place them on a quarter sheet pan to cool. When sauce is done, remove from heat and let cool.

4 In 1-quart glass measure, stir together the cheese filling ingredients; cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4.

5 To assemble: very lightly oil a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Using a #40 scoop (2 tablespoons, slightly rounded), fill shells, handling them carefully. Place in baking dish, open side up. Pour remaining sauce evenly over shells. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and top with a sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: I like to use these Pyrex 3-cup rectangular storage dishes (shown in second photo) for my make-ahead freezer meals for two.

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Jean

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