Spinach, Pine Nut & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
One of my new favourite type of pastas!
These stuffed pasta shells are all sorts of deliciousness! There is truly nothing better than a baked cheesey pasta.
These shells are stuffed with ricotta, spinach, parmesan and my secret ingredient - pine nuts! The pine nuts add an element of crunch and nuttiness, and make it sooo yummy.
To make this recipe easy, I used a good quality pre-made sauce from my local deli however if you wanted to make a nice sauce from scratch, all you need is lots of garlic cooked in olive oil and a jar of passata.
You then top it with lots of cheese and pop it into the oven until its all melted, gooey and delicious.
This is a super easy recipe, and I know you will love it as much as I do!
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Large pasta shells
600g fresh ricotta
500g frozen spinach
80g pine nuts
1 TBS finely chopped parsley
1 TBS parmesan
1-2 TBS olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
500g sauce - I used a jar of tomato & basil sauce. Alternatively, you can use passata
1 TBS tomato paste
Cheese to bake on top - I used the cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan blend
Method:
Defrost the frozen spinach as per packet instructions and then place in a sieve. Press as much water out as possible as you don’t want it to be wet
Heat a frying pan over a high heat, add the pine nuts and toss constantly until they are browned. Be careful not to burn them! Set aside to cool.
Heat the olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and then add the garlic and simmer for a few minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook for a further few minutes.
Add in the passata/pasta sauce and let it simmer until you need it.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then add the pasta shells. Cook as per the packet instructions (I did about 14 minutes). Drain
Mix together the ricotta, spinach, pine nuts, parsley and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 180c
Spread some of the sauce on the base of the baking tray/pan
Stuff the shells with the ricotta mix and arrange in a circle in the pan on top of the sauce.
Top them with more sauce, and then top with cheese
Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Serve & enjoy - they taste even better the next day!
