Baked Pasta Shells Stuffed With Spinach and Ricotta
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA SUMMERIntroduction
It might sound odd to introduce this as a baked pasta for summer, but that’s how I’ve always thought of it. Actually, I’d all but forgotten about it, but it popped into my mind recently, and I have returned to it happily. I’ve cooked it a few times in quick succession recently, and I feel it will be a mainstay of the summer which I hope is to come. True, I wouldn’t necessarily want to make this during a heatwave, but it’s perfect for an al fresco supper or weekend lunch when the air is balmy and the mood mellow.
It is a simpler recipe than you might presume, in the sense that no part of it is difficult, though I admit it’s fairly process-heavy: you need to make the tomato sauce; mix up the filling; boil the pasta shells for 5 minutes; stuff them and cover them with the sauce before it all goes into the oven to bake. It feels like less of an undertaking, I find, if you’ve made the tomato sauce ahead of time and also if you use frozen rather than fresh spinach. (Indeed, I’ve decided to specify just the frozen in the ingredients list as the amount of fresh you need is really quite daunting — and relatively expensive — though do see Additional Notes if you would prefer to use fresh spinach.) If you have the fridge-space, you can actually make up the whole dish ahead and keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, though you will have to add another 15-20 minutes cooking time.
This is best warm, rather than piping hot, so once the dish of plump, stuffed shells is out of the oven, let it stand for around 15 minutes (and up to 30) during which time you can toss together a sprightly salad to eat with it. I always go for my Crisp Green Salad with Parsley and Capers.
Make sure you use the large/jumbo pasta shells, conchiglioni, here — not the small conchiglie. The 250g here should be about 38 shells.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Adapted from the recipe in FOREVER SUMMER.
It might sound odd to introduce this as a baked pasta for summer, but that’s how I’ve always thought of it. Actually, I’d all but forgotten about it, but it popped into my mind recently, and I have returned to it happily. I’ve cooked it a few times in quick succession recently, and I feel it will be a mainstay of the summer which I hope is to come. True, I wouldn’t necessarily want to make this during a heatwave, but it’s perfect for an al fresco supper or weekend lunch when the air is balmy and the mood mellow.
It is a simpler recipe than you might presume, in the sense that no part of it is difficult, though I admit it’s fairly process-heavy: you need to make the tomato sauce; mix up the filling; boil the pasta shells for 5 minutes; stuff them and cover them with the sauce before it all goes into the oven to bake. It feels like less of an undertaking, I find, if you’ve made the tomato sauce ahead of time and also if you use frozen rather than fresh spinach. (Indeed, I’ve decided to specify just the frozen in the ingredients list as the amount of fresh you need is really quite daunting — and relatively expensive — though do see Additional Notes if you would prefer to use fresh spinach.) If you have the fridge-space, you can actually make up the whole dish ahead and keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, though you will have to add another 15-20 minutes cooking time.
This is best warm, rather than piping hot, so once the dish of plump, stuffed shells is out of the oven, let it stand for around 15 minutes (and up to 30) during which time you can toss together a sprightly salad to eat with it. I always go for my Crisp Green Salad with Parsley and Capers.
Make sure you use the large/jumbo pasta shells, conchiglioni, here — not the small conchiglie. The 250g here should be about 38 shells.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Adapted from the recipe in FOREVER SUMMER.
Ingredients
Serves: 5 as a main dish
- 450 grams frozen chopped spinach (or see Additional Info, below)
- 1 small (approx. 150g/6oz) onion or 150 grams frozen chopped shallots
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 fat clove garlic
- 500 grams tomato passata
- 600 millilitres cold water
- 250 grams ricotta cheese
- 50 grams grated Parmesan (plus more to grate over at the table, if wished)
- freshly grated nutmeg
- Maldon sea salt flakes and pepper to taste
- 1 large egg
- 250 grams conchiglioni (large pasta shells)
- 1 pound frozen chopped spinach (or see Additional Info, below)
- 1 small (approx. 150g/6oz) onion or scant 1 cup frozen chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soft sea salt flakes or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 fat clove garlic
- 2 cups tomato passata
- 2½ cups cold water
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan (plus more to grate over at the table, if wished)
- freshly grated nutmeg
- soft sea salt flakes and pepper to taste
- 1 large egg
- 9 ounces conchiglioni (large pasta shells)
Method
- If you’re using frozen rather than fresh spinach, which I do, you need to thaw it first. Should you want to use fresh spinach, see Additional Info, below.
- Peel and chop the onion fairly finely, then warm the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole of about 22cm/9 inches diameter (and that comes with a lid) and add the chopped onion (or frozen chopped shallots) followed by the salt, then give a good stir and cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat. You may need to lower the heat a little, so keep an eye out, and give the pan a stir regularly to make sure the onion softens without scorching. If you’re using shallots, then I’d keep the heat lowish, and 5 minutes should be plenty.
- When the onion’s translucent and softening, grate or mince in the garlic and stir for a minute before adding the passata. Then pour half the water into the now empty carton or jug, and pour into the pan, before swilling out the carton or jar with the rest of the water to get all traces of the tomato, and pour into the pan, too.
- Stir to mix, and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, then partially cover, turning the heat down to medium, and simmer robustly for 25 minutes. In the meantime, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
- Now’s a good time to get on with the filling. If the ricotta looks watery, drain it first, otherwise just scrape it into a medium sized bowl, and add 40g / ⅓ cup of the grated Parmesan, and a good grating of fresh nutmeg. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Squeeze out every last bit of water from the thawed spinach, add it to the ricotta, and stir everything together to mix completely, tasting again for seasoning. Finally, beat the egg and stir it into the mixture.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F, and get out a dish for the pasta. I like to use a round one of 30cm (12 inches) diameter, though a rectangular dish of approx. 28 cm x 24cm (approx. 11 x 9½ inches) also works. You can find out easily whether any dish you have would suit, by tipping the uncooked large pasta shells into the vessel in question: if the shells fit snugly in a single layer, it’s a go!
- When the water approaches a boil, salt generously, let it come to the boil and add the pasta. As soon as the water’s come back to a boil (over high heat) cook the shells for 5 minutes. Drain them and tip them into your waiting dish and leave them to get cool enough for you to stuff them without burning your fingers. Fill each shell with a heaped teaspoonful of the ricotta and spinach mixture: this amount should be exactly enough to stuff them so that the ricotta mixture fills them flat to the top, but without bulging out of the shell. Leave the shells open side up as much as possible.
- Once all the shells are filled, ladle over the tomato sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and bake for 30 minutes, by which time the pasta will be tender and the light tomato sauce hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for a while to cool down slightly before serving. All you need with it is a salad and, if you wish, some Parmesan to grate over at the table.
- If you’re using frozen rather than fresh spinach, which I do, you need to thaw it first. Should you want to use fresh spinach, see Additional Info, below.
- Peel and chop the onion fairly finely, then warm the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole of about 22cm/9 inches diameter (and that comes with a lid) and add the chopped onion (or frozen chopped shallots) followed by the salt, then give a good stir and cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat. You may need to lower the heat a little, so keep an eye out, and give the pan a stir regularly to make sure the onion softens without scorching. If you’re using shallots, then I’d keep the heat lowish, and 5 minutes should be plenty.
- When the onion’s translucent and softening, grate or mince in the garlic and stir for a minute before adding the passata. Then pour half the water into the now empty carton or jug, and pour into the pan, before swilling out the carton or jar with the rest of the water to get all traces of the tomato, and pour into the pan, too.
- Stir to mix, and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, then partially cover, turning the heat down to medium, and simmer robustly for 25 minutes. In the meantime, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
- Now’s a good time to get on with the filling. If the ricotta looks watery, drain it first, otherwise just scrape it into a medium sized bowl, and add 40g / ⅓ cup of the grated Parmesan, and a good grating of fresh nutmeg. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Squeeze out every last bit of water from the thawed spinach, add it to the ricotta, and stir everything together to mix completely, tasting again for seasoning. Finally, beat the egg and stir it into the mixture.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F, and get out a dish for the pasta. I like to use a round one of 30cm (12 inches) diameter, though a rectangular dish of approx. 28 cm x 24cm (approx. 11 x 9½ inches) also works. You can find out easily whether any dish you have would suit, by tipping the uncooked large pasta shells into the vessel in question: if the shells fit snugly in a single layer, it’s a go!
- When the water approaches a boil, salt generously, let it come to the boil and add the pasta. As soon as the water’s come back to a boil (over high heat) cook the shells for 5 minutes. Drain them and tip them into your waiting dish and leave them to get cool enough for you to stuff them without burning your fingers. Fill each shell with a heaped teaspoonful of the ricotta and spinach mixture: this amount should be exactly enough to stuff them so that the ricotta mixture fills them flat to the top, but without bulging out of the shell. Leave the shells open side up as much as possible.
- Once all the shells are filled, ladle over the tomato sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and bake for 30 minutes, by which time the pasta will be tender and the light tomato sauce hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for a while to cool down slightly before serving. All you need with it is a salad and, if you wish, some Parmesan to grate over at the table.
Additional Information
If using fresh spinach, you will need 500g / 1lb 2oz of spinach leaves (preferably not baby spinach) with the tough stalks already discarded. Wash the spinach in cold water, drain then cook it in a pan in just the water still clinging to it, drain, then squeeze all the liquid out, and chop finely. You can also cook the spinach in a microwave if it comes in bags. Just pierce first. Whether you've started off with fresh or frozen spinach, you should end up with one heaped US cupful, very tightly packed.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The dish without the Parmesan can be assembled up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate until needed, uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake, allowing an extra 20 minutes cooking time, or until the stuffed shells and sauce are piping hot all of the way through. The assembled dish can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the dish tightly in a layer of food wrap and a double layer of foil. Freeze, making sure that the dish remains flat. Defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and bake as above.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a microwave, making sure that the stuffed shells and sauce are both piping hot.
If using fresh spinach, you will need 500g / 1lb 2oz of spinach leaves (preferably not baby spinach) with the tough stalks already discarded. Wash the spinach in cold water, drain then cook it in a pan in just the water still clinging to it, drain, then squeeze all the liquid out, and chop finely. You can also cook the spinach in a microwave if it comes in bags. Just pierce first. Whether you've started off with fresh or frozen spinach, you should end up with one heaped US cupful, very tightly packed.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The dish without the Parmesan can be assembled up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate until needed, uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake, allowing an extra 20 minutes cooking time, or until the stuffed shells and sauce are piping hot all of the way through. The assembled dish can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the dish tightly in a layer of food wrap and a double layer of foil. Freeze, making sure that the dish remains flat. Defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and bake as above.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a microwave, making sure that the stuffed shells and sauce are both piping hot.
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What 2 Others have said
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Posted by BeauA on 30th July 2024
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Posted by jtv0310 on 21st June 2024
Show more commentsI’ve just made this. It was a labour of love. Very satisfying to do from scratch. I was grateful to have the time. I can’t eat many cheeses but I can eat ricotta with vegan mozzarella which worked wonderfully. And so delicious with fresh crisp lettuce leaves. The goddess has done it again. Thank you X
I have made this classic dish more times than I can count. What really sets this apart from other versions is the tomato sauce; it is light and allows the taste of the nutmeg scented cheese and spinach to sing through. I have gotten into the habit of serving the garlic and parsley hearth breads (from Domestic Goddess) alongside. I know it’s double carbing, but they taste excellent dipped in that fresh tasting sauce. Either way, this is an excellent recipe, and I know it will become a permanent fixture in your repertoire.