Filling a Hole Stuffed Shells
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By Matt Margeson in Recipes Published: Monday, 11 February 08 - 09:10 PM (GMT -07:00) Last Updated: Monday, 11 February 08 - 09:27 PM (GMT -07:00) |
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What Hole you might ask… This one. Some days you just can’t win. Being a lawyer here in Colorado can be fairly treacherous. First things first, you have to deal with other lawyers on a daily basis, but beyond that the weather and traffic can conspire against you. The HUGE sink hole that stopped traffic dead on the states biggest highway really came out of left field. I had a court date to make in Boulder and my rather worried client and judge with a very good sense of humor were both waiting for me while I sat in traffic for an hour and a half. I learned a lot that day: 1.) Calling the court and telling them that a giant hole opened up on the highway about a ½ mile in front of you, completely blocking traffic, is a good excuse. 2.) Judge Montgomery is AWESOME! 3.) Making sure your client shows up for court is only half the battle. So while the hole is still apparently not fixed I’m posting this stuffed shells recipe in the hopes that it will fill a hole of a different kind.
Filling
1 large container of Ricotta
½ package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
½ cup of sharp provolone grated
½ cup parmesan grated 1 clove garlic minced
½ a jar (a few ounces) of sun dried tomatoes, chopped fine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sauce (you can also use your favorite tomato sauce recipe or jarred sauce)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato paste
1 large onion chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
2 teaspoons Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste
The Rest
2 boxes of jumbo shells
1 cup of mozzarella
First things first, make the filing for the stuffed shells by combining all the ingredients for the filling in a large mixing bowl. If you don’t want to grate that much cheese you have two options: 1.) Do what my mom did and make the kids grate all the cheese 2.) If you don’t have children laying around use a food processor (most have a “grate” setting). Make absolutely sure to try at least one spoonful first, you know, “for seasoning.” Once you’ve finished mixing up the filling throw some Saran wrap over the mixing bowl and set it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
Next, make the sauce by sautéing the onions and garlic in a large sauce pan with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once the onions have turned translucent add all the tomato products and stir to combine. Add the basil and sugar and let simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
While you’re letting the sauce simmer go ahead and cook the jumbo shells as per the package instructions except cook them about a minute less than you normally would. When you drain the pasta add some olive oil and toss to coat so the pasta won’t stick.
Take the sauce off the heat and add the chopped parsley and stir. Let the sauce sit while you get busy stuffing shells. Take the chilled filling out of fridge and with a small spoon start stuffing. While you’re doing this preheat your oven to 375. Be gentle because the shells tear fairly easily. Fill each shell with about one heaping spoon full.
Meanwhile, in a large Pyrex baking dish pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Begin putting the stuffed shells in the dish, and once you filled it up add the rest of the sauce over the top of all the shells. Now toss the cup of grated mozzarella on top and pop it in the oven until the cheese on top turns a golden brown color.
1 Comment so far: |
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| Mmm... | Xzavier | 02/12/08 |
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Top | Reply to this Title: Mmm... Author: Xzavier Date Posted: 12 Feb 2008 05:16 PM (GMT -07:00) I just need to let the people out there know that this was probably my favorite recipe from college. It's also great when you have a group of friends over that can help grate cheese and stuff shells. Another thought is to add some mild or hot italian sausages to your sauce (whole and pre-grilled) then separate them while baking returning them at the end for added flavor and protein. |
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