When you crave comfort food, it's likely you'll want a big ol' bowl of pasta and this spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shell recipe will be exactly the food you want - especially when it's raining outside. We loved stuffed pasta that's then baked in the oven - it's the ultimate meal when you don't feel like simmering a sauce over the hob for hours.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 55 mins
Cal/Serv:
600
Ingredients
1
red onion, roughly chopped
2
garlic cloves, crushed
1
celery stick, roughly chopped
500g
tomatoes, roughly chopped
2Tbsp.
olive oil
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2Tbsp.
balsamic vinegar
1tsp.
caster sugar
large handful roughly chopped basil
250g
large pasta shells, we used conchiglioni
200g
spinach
250g
ricotta
100g
cream cheese
1tsp.
nutmeg
1
egg
50g
Parmesan
Directions
Step 1
Start by making the tomato sauce, preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Toss together onion, garlic, celery, fresh tomatoes with olive oil and plenty of seasoning in a large roasting tray, and roast for 30min.
Step 2
Scrape the roasted vegetables into a blender and whiz until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan and mix together with chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugar and most of the basil. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 15min.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil; cook the pasta for 5-7min until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle full of just boiled water. Leave until cool enough to handle. Lifting up handfuls at a time, firmly squeeze out any liquid from the wilted spinach. Chop the spinach and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 4
Stir the ricotta, Philadelphia, egg, nutmeg and half of the Parmesan into the spinach; season to taste.
Step 5
Pour the tomato sauce into a shallow 2.3 litre ovenproof dish. Divide the cheese mixture among the cooled pasta shells, being careful not to break them. Lay them, in a single layer, into the tomato sauce. Dust with remaining cheese.
Step 6
Cover with foil and return to oven; cook for 30min, covered, before removing foil and cooking for a further 15min.
GH TIPS:
Stir cooked ham and chargrilled artichoke hearts into the ricotta mixture instead of spinach for a twist on this Italian supper. To make it speedier, use a shop-bought tomato sauce.
Freeze ahead: prepare up to end of step 5, then cover in foil or clingfilm and freeze. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6, cook covered for 45min before removing foil and cooking for 15min more. Serve immediately.
Our one-pan butter chicken farfalle recipe is one of our favourites right now - comforting and hearty. Perfect if you're looking for something a little bit different.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurstis our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
