By Chef Alli
Cheese and Vegetable Stuffed Pasta Shells
Ingredients
18 jumbo pasta shells from a 12 oz. box, you may not use them all
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
2-3 cups chopped fresh baby spinach
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese, may substitute cottage cheese, if desired
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 oz. of your favorite marinara sauce
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Cook pasta shells according to the package instructions, drain and rinse well with cold water; drain again and reserve.
While pasta is cooking, drizzle the olive oil into a 12” oven-proof skillet (such as cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat.
When the oil is nicely hot, sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and zucchini until just tender, about three to four minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and sauté an additional minute.
Remove the skillet from the heat, allowing the vegetable mixture to cool slightly before transferring to a large mixing bowl; reserve the skillet.
To the large mixing bowl with the vegetables, stir in ricotta cheese, ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of Parmesan; generously season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the marinara evenly into the skillet you cooked the vegetables in.
Using a small spoon, fill each cooked pasta shell with three to four tablespoons of the prepared vegetable/ricotta mixture, gently placing each one into the marinara sauce in the skillet.
Cover the skillet tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake the pasta for 20 minutes, then uncover and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Return the pasta to the oven and bake, uncovered, for another 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is hot and bubbly all throughout. Let the pasta rest for five minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips and Variations
This is a meatless main dish but any cooked meat could be added to the filling or to the marinara sauce, such as ground Italian sausage, ground beef or chopped chicken breast.
To make the filling higher in protein, substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta.
Leaving the skin on the zucchini when you shred it gives it more texture as well as added nutrients.
