Baked Pasta Shells With Ricotta Real Simple Recipes

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

SPINACH & RICOTTA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
• Pasta Sauce: Pour out about 1/4 cup of the passata (to make room to add flavourings). Add the remaining Pasta Sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on and give it a shake.
• Cook pasta for time per packet MINUS 1 minute.
• SCOOP OUT 1 mugful pasta cooking water, drain and set aside.
• Ricotta Mixture - Mix Ricotta Mixture ingredients in a very large bowl. Use a splash of pasta cooking water if needed to make it creamy.
• Add pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to a heatproof baking dish.
• Top with Pasta Sauce, top with cheese. Loosely cover with foil.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Serve while hot and fresh!

EASY BAKED SPINACH AND RICOTTA PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain, refresh in cold water, then drain again and set aside. Put the spinach into a large colander and pour a full kettle of boiling water over to wilt it. Drain, then use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much water as possible.
• Heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. In a mixing bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, yogurt, nutmeg, garlic and zest of 1 lemon with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into a 1.5 litre baking dish, then arrange the shells in a single layer, with the open side facing upwards. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into each shell, then pour the rest of the tomato sauce over. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and the rest of the lemon zest. Remove the foil from the dish, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over, then return it to the oven for 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

BAKED STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a large oval or 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook pasta in water for 9 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Break up the meat as it cooks. Add onion and cook for another 4 minutes until onions have softened.
• Drain grease from skillet. Pout 1 jar or marinara into the skillet and stir to combine. Pour meat sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread out into an even layer.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, garlic, egg, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley.
• Fill cooled pasta shells with ricotta mixture. Place in the dish over meat sauce, open side facing down. This will keep the cheese inside and the edges won't get hard.
• Spoon the remaining marinara sauce all over the shells.
• In a bowl, mix together the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over shells.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly. Remove from oven and serve warm.

STUFFED SHELLS III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
• Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

BAKED PASTA SHELLS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a very large saucepan, gently fry the garlic and onion in the oil for about 5-10 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato purée and refill the cans with water about three-quarters full, giving them a shake to mop up any tomato. This will give you about 4 1/2 cups water. Add it to the pan. Bring the sauce to the boil and then partially cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
• Soak the fresh spinach in the sink to get rid of any mud, drain, and then cook in just the water that's still clinging to the leaves until it has wilted down and cooked through, then drain well and chop roughly (you can just go at it with scissors while it's sitting in the colander). If you're using frozen chopped spinach, make sure - once it's thawed - that you've pressed out every last bit or water; you can.
• Empty the ricotta into a bowl, add the eggs and then grate in about 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the Parmesan. Add the spinach when it is cool, squeezing out (again) any excess water with your hands, then stir everything together and season it well with the nutmeg and salt and pepper.
• Cook the pasta shells in a large pan of water, for about 5 minutes once they have come back to the boil, then drain and leave them to get cool enough for you to stuff them without burning your fingers. Tip the shells into a dish, of approximately 15 x 13 inches, so that they lie in a single layer, then fill each shell with a heaped teaspoon of the spinach and ricotta filling. Ladle the tomato sauce over the pasta, and grate over the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes, by which time the pasta will be tender and the light tomato sauce hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for a while to cool down slightly before serving.

BAKED PASTA SHELLS WITH RICOTTA-REAL SIMPLE

Steps:

• Cook shells 7-8 minutes until almost al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Drizzle with oil and toss.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Meanwhile, combine ricotta, salt, 1/8 tsp of pepper, egg yolks, and 1/8 cup parmesan.
• Melt the butter in skillet over medium heat. Add the herb of choice and cook until butter is brown.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish or casserole.
• Carefully spoon about 1 1/2 tbsp of the ricotta filling into each shell and place into the casserole dish.
• Pour the rest of the sauce over the shells.
• Combine the Parmesan cheese with 1/4 tsp pepper and sprinkle over the shells.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes--sauce should be bubbly. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden brown.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread so that it is evenly coatedIn a medium bowl.
• Place the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of Italian blend cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
• Fill each pasta shell with the cheese mixture and place, open side up, in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top of the sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the baking dish then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to turn light brown in color.
• Garnish with parsley, then serve warm.