Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells Doused with Saucy Summer Veg
Filled with an herby, peppery ricotta mixture, these stuffed shells are always a hit.
Serves8 to 10
Prep25 minutes
Cook1 hour 35 minutes
Whenever I develop a recipe like this, I try my hardest to remove that additional step of precooking the pasta while adding an extra pot to your dirty dish pile. For this cheesy number, hard pasta shells are stuffed with an herby, peppery ricotta mixture, then nestled into the sauce. Covering the casserole allows the pasta to steam and absorb moisture while cooking in the oven.
For the base sauce, my biggest inspiration was ratatouille—the French vegetable dish, not the famous rat. I tried using vegetables typically found in a ratatouille to replicate a tomato-y, veggie sauce reminiscent of the French delicacy.
Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells Doused with Saucy Summer Veg Recipe
Filled with an herby, peppery ricotta mixture, these stuffed shells are always a hit.
Prep time 25 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 35 minutes
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1
large yellow onion, chopped
- 1
medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2
medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt
- 2
red bell peppers, chopped
- 1
(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 pound
whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1
garlic clove, minced or finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
- 22 to 25
jumbo pasta shells (about 6 1/2 ounces)
- 12 ounces
whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
Torn fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have cooked down and softened significantly, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 more minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the canned tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Stir to combine and season with another big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and saucy, 10 to 12 minutes. The sauce will have a loose, liquid consistency.
Remove the pan from the heat. In a 9x13-inch baking pan, carefully add the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, garlic, a pinch of salt, and black pepper to taste. Stuff the dry shells with about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture, scraping off any excess using your finger or a spatula. (You can also stuff the shells using a piping bag, piping the mixture straight in the shell.) Gently nestle each shell into the sauce and repeat with the remaining shells. If you end up with leftover ricotta mixture, dot the remainder between the shells.
Tightly cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Carefully remove the foil and sprinkle the mozzarella all over the shells. Bake until the cheese has fully melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Place the oven rack about 4 inches from the heating element. Broil just until the cheese is bubbling and slightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve hot with freshly torn basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe Notes
Reprinted with permission from Pass The Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook by Carolina Gelen. Copyright © 2024 by Gelen Media LLC. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Nico Schinco. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.