I don’t encounter stuffed shells in Italy much; stuffed paccheri (big and floppy rigatoni-lookalikes) are much more common there. But I have sold a lot of stuffed shells throughout my restaurant days. This is comfort food—pasta stuffed with milky ricotta and topped with oozing melted cheese, and just about everybody loves it. It is a common dish, present in many Italian American restaurant menus and households. It is also very convenient, because the oven does the work, and you can feed a large number of guests.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
for the sauce
for the shells and filling
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. While the sauce cooks, add the shells to the boiling pasta water and cook two-thirds of the recommended cooking time—shells should still be firm. Drain and set all the shells on sheet trays, set apart so they won’t stick to each other.
Step 3
For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until the edges are golden, about 2 minutes, then pour in the tomatoes. Slosh out the tomato cans with 1 cup hot water each, and add that to the pot. Stir in the salt, oregano, and peperoncino, and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
For the filling: Stir together the ricotta, peas, cubed mozzarella, 1 cup of the grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, the parsley, and egg in a bowl. Mix the shredded mozzarella and remaining grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano in a bowl, and set aside.
Step 5
Spread 2 cups of the sauce in a 15-by-10-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Stuff each shell with a tablespoon of the stuffing, and arrange in the baking dish. Divide any remaining stuffing between and around the stuffed shells. Top evenly with 2 cups more sauce, and sprinkle with the reserved grated-cheese mixture. Dollop the remaining sauce evenly over the top. Make a tent with foil over the baking dish. Bake, and after 25 minutes, check: the sauce should be bubbly all over. Remove foil, and bake until golden and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes more.
