Stuffed Shells

This is a family favorite dish. I make it very often. The best thing about this pasta is that it is not drenched in sauce. You can actually taste the butter-cream sauce, filling and al-dante pasta. This is one of our favorite food network star Giada's recipe. The only change I made is to omit pancetta. Didn't feel like having any meat in this dish. It is a bit of work but the end is so good when you bite into that cheese-spinach filled fragrant shell. Just the mention of this dish is making me drool! Looks like I will be making it again very soon. Try this one and you may have found a new favorite for your family.

Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
Shells:

• 1 (12-ounce) package jumbo shells pasta
• 2 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
• 1 cup grated asiago cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How to:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the shells:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Mix the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.