spinach & three cheese stuffed shells

Another one of my New Year's resolutions is to add more delicious and satisfying vegetarian dishes to my recipe binder, making it easier for me to plan and prepare meals for our vegetarian friends.

I've been sampling and tweaking vegetarian dishes for several weeks now, and hope to share many of them with you throughout the year. Some are simple dishes like this baked egg dish with spicy sweet potatoes, black beans, manchego and goat cheese, and others are like this one.

We are so blessed to live in Southern California where we have access to abundant Farmer's Markets year round, so it's not difficult to add beautiful salads and vegetable side dishes to a main course . . . but I was in need of more hearty vegetarian main dishes.

It's easy to create pasta dishes with savory red or cream sauces and roasted vegetables, but I thought it would be nice to also have more tailored dishes . . . you know, for special occasions.

One of the new dishes that made it into my binder is spinach and three cheese stuffed shells. Instead of baking them in a large 9 x 13" dish, I bake them in individual ramekins. There's something special about eating from your very own pretty dish.

I love this recipe. It's easy to prepare . . . and delicious. You can serve it family style in a large baking dish . . . or fancy it up, and serve it ramekins. I like to serve these beautiful shells alongside a salad and fresh bread. It's hearty, yet light . . .  which is great, especially if you plan on serving dessert too.

Here's what you'll need . . .

16 jumbo shells (from a 12-oz box)

2 cups marinara sauce (or your favorite red sauce)

1 10-ounce package of frozen leaf spinach, thawed

1  15-ounce container of part-skim ricotta

2  ounces Parmesan, grated (about 1/2 cup)

8  ounces part-skim mozzarella, grated (about 2 cups)

1 egg

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed (optional)

Salt and pepper
Olive oil

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.

Spread the sauce onto the bottom of a large broiler-proof baking dish.

Squeeze the spinach of excess moisture, roughly chop and place in a large bowl.

Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells (about 1/4 cup each) and place on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella (or more, if you like) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Bake until the shells are heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase heat to broil. Broil the shells until the cheese begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley, Enjoy!

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