These melt in your mouth stuffed shells are simply delicious and make for a hearty meal. Here shells are stuffed with ricotta, veggies, and fresh herbs and topped with marinara and mozzarella. Easy and perfect dinner for those busy weeknights or a party!!
Ingredients
- 20 Jumbo shells
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup onions, finely chopped
- ⅔ cup red pepper/capsicum, finely chopped
- ⅔ cup green pepper/capsicum, finely chopped
- ½ cup broccoli, finely chopped
- 4 garlic pods, minced
- ½ cup basil, chopped
- 20 oz marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt or as per taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add shells and cook the pasta al dente (I did 10 minutes) or as per package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, cook for about 30 seconds or till light brown.
- Stir in onions, cook for about 2 minutes.
- Further, add green and red peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add salt, black pepper, red chili flakes, and Italian seasoning. Mix well and take it off the flame.
- After it has cooled off a bit, mix in ricotta cheese and half of the basil. Stir everything really well, the filling is ready to be used.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread half the marinara sauce on the bottom.
- Spoon a generous amount of ricotta-veggie mixture into each shell without breaking them. Arrange them in a single layer (opening up) in the baking dish.
- Pour the rest of the marinara sauce evenly over the shells and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400º F for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top the stuffed shells with basil and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to use veggies of your choice, spinach, zucchini, etc.
- Boil shells only till a little underdone, else they can break and fall apart while stuffing it in.
- These Stuffed shells freeze well. Just thaw them at room temperature for a couple of hours before warming in the oven.
