Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

♪  Listening to: Various Remixes of Marvin Gaye's - Got to Give It Up   ♫ 

He made this about a month ago, and being in a cooking mood 

I decided to give it a go myself without the help of 

‘Danz the Connoisseur’.

And I was very impressed with my efforts and outcome. 

Here is what I did; Serving 4-6 people.

300gms Pasta Shells

500gms Ricotta
150gms Spinach, cooked squeezed and chopped

300gms Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese - I did not use all of this; I just bought a bulk amount because we use it a lot.
1 jar of Napolitana Sauce - or your preferred sauce! Come to think of it, this would probably taste great with a nice creamy boscaiola sauce.
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella
Salt and Pepper

1 clove of Garlic - chopped, diced, sliced, whole! whatever you prefer.
5-10 Basil leaves - totally optional. I LOVE BASIL!!! I have my own little basil tree and I will use it in just about everything.
2 glasses of Dry White Wine. 1 for the sauce & 1 for me… 

My Cute Little Basil Tree

1) Preheat Oven to 180 degrees.

2) Boil the water  - Wait until you have brought the pot to boil, then add in a bit of salt (It takes longer for the water to boil if you add the salt in before). 

3) In a small saucepan add Napolitana Sauce, garlic, salt and pepper (to flavour), 5-10 basil leaves, white wine. 

Mix and let it simmer on LOW.

4) Once your pot of water has boiled cook the shells for about 5-7 minutes, then drain and leave them to cool. You are only half cooking them so they keep their shape for stuffing.

5) In a large mixing bowl; add ricotta, spinach, pinch of salt, and ½ to 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Combine mixture till there is a nice visible blend between the ricotta and spinach.  

Taste Test It!! You can always add more cheese!

This is our Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese container. Cool Hey!?!?

6) Keep an eye on the sauce!

After empting the jar of tomato sauce, half fill it with tap water. As the sauce thickens add the water in slowly throughout the cooking process, to reduce it slightly. 

I made 2 trays worth of pasta shells. 

With both trays prior to stuffing I spooned a small amount of sauce 

on the bottom of the dish to create a non-stick surface.

STUFFING TIME!!

After stuffing.

This is a long and messy process but it is well worth it. 

With a butter knife I scooped out small amounts of the Spinach and Ricotta Mix into each individual shell. 

Going into the oven.

After placing them side-by-side in the sauced dish, sprinkle the stuffed shells with mozzarella, then top with the Napolitana sauce and finish it off with a bit more Parmesan after that.

Cook in the over for 20-25min, or just make sure the cheese is melted and a little bit crispy on top.

Coming out of the oven.

AND voilà!!