Do-Ahead Stuffed Shells
"A delicious dish you complete in advance, freeze, then serve when time is limitied (like during the hectic holiday season). You can substitute 1 T. minced fresh herbs for each t. dried herbs required. Serve with a nice Chianti."
photo by AZPARZYCH
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 27
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
-
Tomato Sauce
- 1 (1/3 ounce) package dried porcini mushrooms
- 3⁄4 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1⁄4 cup red wine
- 3 (16 ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1⁄3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
-
Stuffed Shells
- 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
- 2 (15 ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces prosciutto, minced
- 3 medium shallots, minced
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or 2 tablespoons scallions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional
- parmesan cheese, to taste
directions
- If serving immediately, heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make Tomato Sauce: Soak mushrooms in the warm warm until softened, 30 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.
- Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and the reserved soaking liquid, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat 10 minutes. Chop parsley with basil; add to sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Mix remaining ingredients except Parmesan in medium bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan until blended.
- Using soup spoon, stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture.
- Place half the tomato sauce in casserole large enough to hold shells in single layer, or divide sauce among 2 or 3 smaller casseorles. Place shells over tomato sauce, then spoon remaining sauce over shells.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over shells. Cover and bake until heated through, 12-15 minutes. Serve with additional Parmesan.
- Or, let unbaked sauced shells cool to room temperature, cover tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. To serve, thaw covered in refrigerator, then bake as directed and serve with addtiional grated Parmesan cheese.
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Reviews
-
Definitely take some doing to put this recipe together, but I did, & followed it right on down! I'm not a big fan of the mushroom, but when finely chopped, it worked just fine! I particularly like being able to freeze the shells in servings for 2, & we'll happily enjoy these great tasties for some time to come! Thanks for sharing the recipe! [Made & reviewed in I Recommend recipe tag] -
I was plesantly surprised by this recipe; I am not a big fan of ricotta chesse, but this was great. I made a few adjustments based on our tastes and what I had; I left out the mushrooms from the sauce, used a shallot instead of the red onion and could not find Italian plum tomatoes so used Italian recipe stewed tomatoes. From the stuffing I used 2 shallots instead of 3, left out the spinach, and used scallions instead of chives. DH and I both thought there were too many shallots so I will use 1 next time. This made enough for dinner, 2 lunches and a whole other meal that I froze! Made for ZWT 7-THE HOT PINK LADIES.
Tweaks
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I was plesantly surprised by this recipe; I am not a big fan of ricotta chesse, but this was great. I made a few adjustments based on our tastes and what I had; I left out the mushrooms from the sauce, used a shallot instead of the red onion and could not find Italian plum tomatoes so used Italian recipe stewed tomatoes. From the stuffing I used 2 shallots instead of 3, left out the spinach, and used scallions instead of chives. DH and I both thought there were too many shallots so I will use 1 next time. This made enough for dinner, 2 lunches and a whole other meal that I froze! Made for ZWT 7-THE HOT PINK LADIES.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
JackieOhNo!
Stormville, New York
I didn't start cooking until my early 20's, even though I come from a family of accomplished and admired home cooks. While I grew up watching my Italian grandmother in the kitchen, I remained uninterested in trying anything on my own. As a young lady, I was known for being particularly ignorant in the kitchen, with no idea how to even make a hot dog! All this changed, however, when I got engaged. I realized it was time to let my inherent talents out of the bag. At the time, the New York Times had a weekly column called The 60-Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. Each week, I would follow these recipes diligently, and taught myself to cook that way. From there, I began to read cookbooks and consult with relatives on family recipes. At my ripe old age now, I feel I know enough to put together a very pleasing meal and have become accomplished in my own right. Having an Irish father and an Italian mother, I'm glad I inherited the cooking gene (and the drinking one too!). One thing I have learned is that simpler is always better! I always believe cooking fills a need to nurture and show love. After being widowed fairly young and living alone with my dog and cats, I stopped cooking for awhile, since I really had no one to cook for. I made care packages for my grown son occasionally, and like to cook weekly for my boyfriend, so I feel like I am truly back in the saddle!!
