Stuffed Shells

I was recently inspired to start a cozy recipe series on my TikTok and I’m kicking off the series with one of my favorite comfort foods - stuffed shells!

Stuffed shells will alwaysss remind me of my grandparents. They came from big Italian families so we were always eating some sort of Italian food when they were in town. My grandpa would always make his famous Sunday Sauce and we’d be left with quarts of it in our freezer. One of my favorite things to do with his sauce was eat it in stuffed shells which I have such fond memories of.

This stuffed shells recipe is so nostalgic for me and although it’s not very time consuming, it hits all of those cozy recipe notes. It’s simple enough to make on a week night but special enough for a weekend dinner and it makes for amazing leftovers.

If you’re short on time, feel free to use store bought sauce. Rao’s is always a fav of mine! Also — as always, feel free to adapt this recipe! Vegetarian? Omit the meat! Don’t like it spicy? No need to add in those red pepper flakes. I hope you give this a try and enjoy!

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 1 28 oz can tomato puree

• Kosher salt

For the filling + shells:

• 3/4 cup cottage cheese

• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

• 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

• 1 1/2 heaping cups spinach, finely chopped

• 1/2 heaping cup parsley leaves + tender stems, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 lb mild italian sausage, browned + cooled

• 1/4 lb spicy italian sausage, browned + cooled

• Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper

• 2 egg yolks

• 3/4 lb jumbo shells, cooked to 2 minutes under al dente

METHOD

1. Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Make the sauce:

   1. In a dutch oven or braiser, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add a big pinch of salt and cook until the onions and garlic have begun to soften but not brown, 2-3 minutes.

   2. Add in the tomato paste and cook until it has begun to caramelize and has turned a brick red color, about 3 minutes.

   3. Add in the tomato puree and 1/2 cup of water and allow the mixture to simmer about 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Season with kosher salt, to taste, turn off the heat and set aside.

3. Make the filling:

   1. In a food processor or blender, blend your cottage cheese and ricotta cheese until smooth.

   2. Transfer the whipped cheese mixture to a medium bowl and mix in the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, spinach, parsley, garlic and cooked sausage. Add kosher salt + pepper to taste. Stir in your egg yolks. Set aside.

4. Assemble the shells:

   1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with half of the tomato sauce. Fill each cooked shell with a generous amount of the filling (~2 Tbsp per shell) and arrange in a single row on top of the sauce. Top the stuffed shells with the remaining sauce and finish with a generous dusting of parmesan cheese.

   2. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese in the filling is melty. Enjoy!