Mom’s Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe

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Mom’s Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
18
Count
Nutrition
587
Calories
Total time
60
Minutes
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Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Bring 4 – 5 qts of water to a rolling boil, add 2 tbs of salt, gently add pasta, be sure to add extra shells as you will lose a few, cook for approximately 10 minutes, or it tests al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. If pasta is starchy, you can toss in olive oil to prevent from sticking, but use sparingly as it will also prevent the cheese from sticking.
  2. While pasta is cooking start your sauce:.
  3. In an 6-8 qt pan brown meats over a medium hot burner, work it with a spoon until meat crumbles, add onion, then cook until dark brown, If there is an excessive amount of fat, drain and, optionally, rinse. Add garlic and season to taste. Cook until garlic is fragrant, use caution not to burn. Add sauce & paste, reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until ready to serve, adjust seasoning as necessary.
  4. While meat sauce is cooking thaw and rinse and your spinach, I like to use the microwave , but you can rinse it under hot water. After draining all the water you can in a colander wrap the spinach in a very clean towel and twist to get the remaining water out, this is a critical step. When you get done the spinach will be VERY dry. Crumble the spinach in a large bowl, add ricotta, 3/4 of the mozzarella, 3/4 of the parmesan, mix, add egg, mix add seasonings/garlic and mix. Be sure to add enough salt here, the spinach really comes alive when seasoned properly.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. I like to bake the noodles in 8x12 foil pans, but you can use a single 1/2 sheet pan or a large casserole dish or a pair of 9x13 pans. Whatever you decide, lightly grease the pans, ladle in a generous amount of sauce. Each shell will take about 2 tablespoons of filling. They are very full, but not too top heavy. I fit about 20 shells in an 8x12 pan. Once the shells are filled and arranged, spoon a small amount of sauce on each one, sprinkle remaining cheeses on the top, cover with greased foil and bake for 25 minutes.
  7. If you are making the shells ahead of time you will need to adjust your cooking time, bake at 325 for 15 minutes or so, then raise temp to 350 and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. At this point you can turn on the broiler (top element) and brown the cheeses.
  8. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes (or so) while you warm up your garlic bread.
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Nutrition Facts

Per ServingPer 100 g
Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories 586.75 Kcal (2457 kJ)
Calories from fat 299.04 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33.23g 51%
Cholesterol 174.32mg 58%
Sodium 927.25mg 39%
Potassium 824.85mg 18%
Total Carbs 28.66g 10%
Sugars 2.47g 10%
Dietary Fiber 3.63g 15%
Protein 45.23g 90%
Vitamin C 9mg 15%
Vitamin A 0.9mg 30%
Iron 4.3mg 24%
Calcium 656mg 66%
Amount Per 100 g
Calories 146.71 Kcal (614 kJ)
Calories from fat 74.77 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.31g 51%
Cholesterol 43.59mg 58%
Sodium 231.86mg 39%
Potassium 206.25mg 18%
Total Carbs 7.17g 10%
Sugars 0.62g 10%
Dietary Fiber 0.91g 15%
Protein 11.31g 90%
Vitamin C 2.2mg 15%
Vitamin A 0.2mg 30%
Iron 1.1mg 24%
Calcium 164mg 66%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

  • salty
  • savory
  • bitter
  • sweet
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Recipe Tags

Weightwatchers Points

  • 13.8
    Points
  • 16
    PointsPlus

Good Points

  • saturated fat free

Bad Points

  • High in Sodium

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