Description

This is my grandmother's recipe for Stuffed Shells. I have very fond memories of making these with her. In my opinion these are the best Ricotta, Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano Stuffed Shells ever.

Ingredients

4-6 cups Tomato Sauce 1½ lbs jumbo shells (for this recipe you will need between 55-65 shells) 2 lbs whole milk ricotta cheese 16 oz grated whole milk mozzarella 1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese (Plus ¼ cup to sprinkle over the top prior to baking) 4 large eggs ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped ½ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon nutmeg Salt & Pepper to taste (I use 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper)

Instructions

In a large pot add 6 quarts of water (4 quarts of water per pound of pasta) and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling add 3 tablespoons sea or Kosher salt and add the shells. Cook pasta 1 minute less than al dente (Per the package instructions). Using a colander drain pasta and gently run cold water over the shells till you can handle them comfortably and set aside to drain thoroughly. In a large bowl add the ricotta, mozzarella, romano, fresh parsley, dried basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper, add beaten eggs and combine well. Spred 1 ½ cups of tomato sauce evenly over a 9x12 pan (You will need two 9x12 pans). Individually stuff each pasta shell using your preferred method. Place the stuffed shell on top of your tomato sauce base, and continue till the pan is full. Put a small dollop of tomato sauce on each shell and sprinkle with romano cheese to your preference. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350 F for 30-40 minutes (Check at 30 minutes, you want the cheese to be melted in the shell). Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until top has browned slightly.

Serves

10 - 12

Additional Comments

If you want to make a smaller batch, simply cut the recipe ingredient in half. These stuffed shells freeze beautifully, you can freeze them at the point where you have the shells stuffed and on top of the tomato sauce in the pan, simply cover with plastic,wrap and freeze or using a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, place the stuffed shells on the sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once shells have frozen thru remove from sheet pan and add the portions desired into a freeze bag and freeze.

Baked Stuffed Shells