Festive Christmas Stuffed Pasta (Printable version)
Colorful jumbo shells stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and cranberries in rich tomato sauce. A stunning vegetarian holiday centerpiece.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta & Filling
01 - 20 jumbo pasta shells
02 - 2 cups ricotta cheese
03 - 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
04 - 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
05 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
07 - 1 egg
08 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
09 - 1 garlic clove, minced
10 - 1/2 tsp salt
11 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
→ Sauce
12 - 2 cups tomato passata or marinara sauce
13 - 1 tbsp olive oil
14 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
15 - 1 garlic clove, minced
16 - Pinch of red pepper flakes
17 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Garnish
18 - Fresh basil leaves
19 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese
# How to Prepare:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
02 - Cook the pasta shells in salted boiling water until al dente; drain and set aside on a kitchen towel to cool.
03 - In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until softened. Add passata or marinara, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
04 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped cranberries, egg, nutmeg, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
05 - Spread half the tomato sauce on the bottom of a large ovenproof baking dish.
06 - Fill each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture using a spoon. Arrange the filled shells in the dish.
07 - Pour remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle extra Parmesan on top.
08 - Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil, bake another 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.
10 - Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- The cranberries create these tiny bright surprises in every bite that make people pause and smile
- Its the kind of showstopping vegetarian main that makes meat eaters completely forget they are missing anything
02 -
- Overstuffing the shells seems smart but they will burst open during baking so leave a little room for the filling to expand
- Let the dish rest for 10 minutes after baking because the filling sets up and becomes easier to serve cleanly
03 -
- Use a piping bag or zip top bag with the corner cut to fill shells quickly and neatly
- Place your baking dish on a lined cookie sheet to catch any bubbling overflow in the oven