Cooking Therapy

For some, stuffed shells are a comfort food. For others, part of a traditional Sunday Italian dinner. For me, they are an easy go-to meal option. The beauty of this dish is that it is super easy to make, does not require a lot of ingredients, and leaves your stomach full. If you are pressed for time, feel free to use ready made tomato sauce, but it will not taste as delicious as if you made it yourself, which really adds to the dish. You can also make it a meat or vegetable sauce should you feel bold in the kitchen. Besides, there aren’t that many things better than coming home to a large tray of stuffed shells.

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredient

1 Box of pasta shells

1 16 oz container of ricotta

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup of ground pecorino romano

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 8 oz package of baby bella mushrooms, chopped

4 or 5 sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

5 leaves of basil, chopped

2 large eggs

1 ½ 16 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Crushed red pepper flakes

Black pepper

1 tablespoon of oregano

Instructions

• In a pot, bring water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Once water is boiled, add the pasta shells and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Strain the shells and let them cool down
• Preheat the oven to 375
• In a medium sized saucepan, add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the garlic over a medium-low heat until fragrant.
• One the garlic is fragrant, add the mushrooms and another tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until mushrooms soften and begin to have some color on them
• Add the crushed tomatoes, the oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of the crushed red pepper, and a pinch of the pecorino and stir. Cover the pot and bring to a boil
• While sauce is cooking, in a metal bowl, add the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of the pecorino, the eggs, and the parsley and stir. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste
• Using a small spoon, stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture. About one spoonful should do it as you don’t want the filling to overflow
• Once all the shells are done, create a base of sauce in the baking dish you are using. Once the bottom is covered in sauce, add the shells, filling side up, placing them closely one after the other. Cover the shells with the remainder of the sauce with the remaining mozzarella and pecorino cheeses
• Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven and let bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese begins to brown and become gooey
• Remove from oven and let cool down before serving
• Serve and enjoy!