Monday, November 13, 2006

conchiglioni ripieni di ricotta

ricotta filled pasta shells


ingredients:

24 jumbo pasta shells

1 454 g container ricotta, full fat
1 pkg frozen spinach [10 oz — 280g]
1/3 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg [optional]
1 egg

[700 g] tomato sauce, such as the one i suggest here or here.


method:

cook the pasta shells for only 10 minutes in boiling salted water. drain carefully and run cold water over shells. set aside to finish draining completely. cover so they do not dry out.


while the pasta is cooking, cook the spinach according to the directions and drain extremely well. chopped the spinach further if needed. often it is stringy when using frozen. you can use fresh also and cook it but the frozen is more convenient.

in a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the egg and seasonings. add the parmesan and the spinach and mix well. you can also add 1/2 c. grated mozzarella to the ricotta mix as i sometimes do.


in a large pyrex, add a layer of the sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish.

separate the filling into equal portions [or just stuff as you go] and fill the shells. it should be about a heaping tablespoon of ricotta mix per shell.


place these in the pyrex on top of the sauce and then cover the shells with more sauce & extra parmesan [or a little mozzarella]. the shells should not be swimming in the sauce, however. don't go crazy adding too much!


bake this without covering at 350 F for ~ 30 minutes.

serve with grated cheese such as asiago or more parmesan.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why didn't you invite me to dinner?? That looks absolutely delish!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

That looks delicious! It is the kind of comforting food needed now that the cold days are back.

burekaboy — said...

aja - is it my fault you don't pick up the phone when i call?! they really are good and easy to make. no crustaceans were hurt in the process though i did have visions of caribbean conch as i was stuffing them. ;p

rosa - thank you. making these is actually a lot faster than it looks. they are extremely comforting and as you mention perfect for the colder weather. i like the fact that they are not "heavy" because of the ricotta.

Anonymous said...

Yum Yum Yummy..... I make these kinds with cannoli pasta....... I guess shell pasta is also a good idea..... Thanks for sharing. :)

burekaboy — said...

hi rooma, yes it is good in cannelloni & manicotti as well. love them all. ;p

HB said...

Thanks for all the inspiring photos on all your posts! They really make me want to cook. I'll be trying this one tonight as the first one from your blog. (Albeit without eggs and using jarred pasta sauce - I'm not up to homemade sauce yet!) Keep up the good work. Thanks for all the vegetarian recipes. Yours is the first non-baking and non-vegetarian blog I've bookmarked, and I'm a strict vegetarian!

burekaboy — said...

hi holly - thanks for your comment and bookmarking my blog. i'm also more or less vegetarian; i only really eat meat once in a while these days.

hope you like the recipe for the conchiliogni; it comes out quite good, especially if you add parmesan. bottled tomato sauce is fine - whatever works best for you! if you have other questions about something i've posted let me know....