we’ve made it in one piece to our new home here in the valley. settling in one day at a time, and so grateful for this opportunity to start a new chapter. ames and joey love the “new house” as ames has dubbed it, and it seems as though they’re really enjoying living in a house and having a backyard for the first time. i can already see them being a lot more independent, which is both terrifying and such a welcome.
on to our recipe, though! i made these stuffed shells for a special christmas dinner a few months back and we all loved them. so, for our last night in our apartment i made them again. they’re simple and straight to point - cheesy, pasta-y carbs that provide all the nostalgic, cozy/home-y feelings.
it’s really a simple meal with just a few components that get assembled to put everything together. we begin by sautéing spinach in some olive oil, we throw some salt and pepper in to season it a bit. then we make our filling with almond ricotta (i call for store bought, but i also linked to a recipe in the notes if you want/prefer to make your own). we add a few pantry ingredients, some plant-based mozzarella shreds, and our lemon zest! i love how the zest completely brightens these shells and takes the flavor to a new, yet familiar place. in goes the sautéed spinach and we now have our filling! we cook the shells until al dente, and run them under cold water. then we pipe the filling into the shells, smother them in your favorite marinara sauce, and toss them in the oven for about 30 minutes until everything is nice and hot. plus, these are really good for leftovers, they actually gave us about 2 nights worth of leftovers which was amazing after the move!
i just want to note - these shells are what i call a “special meal”, for many, this recipe might not be ideal as a weekly rotation, simply because many of the ingredients i call for are on the pricey side and/or have to be purchased online. however, if you can swing those kinds of purchases, then go for it!
spinach & zesty almond ricotta stuffed shells | gf & v
| serves 4-6 |
notes:
although i call for store bought almond ricotta, it is pretty pricey (unfortunately). if you’re not wanting to spend money on it, but still want to make this recipe, i suggest using laura’s recipe for her almond ricotta.
similarly, the plant-based mozzarella shreds i call for are also on the pricier side. if you have a preferred brand that’s less expensive, by all means use it. you could also leave the mozzarella out altogether and just add a bit more nutritional yeast and salt to the filling.
the only gluten-free jumbo pasta shells that i’m aware of are made by tinkyada. however, they are not readily found at many grocery stores, so you may have to purchase them online.
ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
fine salt & freshly ground pepper
1 8-ounce box tinkyada jumbo pasta shells
16 ounces kite hill almond ricotta (or see notes above)
1 1/2 cups parmela creamery mozzarella shreds
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 small cloves garlic, grated over a microplane
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
24 ounces marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
method
preheat oven to 350°F.
in a saute pan, heat the olive over medium heat. once hot add the spinach, and season with salt and pepper. cook until spinach is bright green and wilted, about 1 minute. use tongs and remove spinach; place in a bowl and set aside.
make the filling. in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella shreds, basil, nutritional yeast, grated garlic, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. give it a taste and adjust any seasonings - adding more nutritional yeast, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and/or pepper. stir in the spinach and mix until evenly distributed. set aside.
cook the shells in a large pot of boiling salted water. stir occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. drain the shells, and run under cold water to stop them from cooking. set aside.
cover the bottom of a 13x9” baking pan with about 1 cup of sauce.
spoon the filling into a piping bag, or a resealable bag with the corner snipped. pipe the filling into each shell and arrange in a single layer in your sauce covered pan. cover the tops and sides of the shells with more marinara sauce.
cover the pan tightly with foil and cook for 20 minutes, remove foil, and cook for another 10 minutes.
serve warm with chopped parsley.
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