Stuffed & baked ricotta shells

Stuffed & baked ricotta shells

These great-looking shells make a good alternative to stuffed cannelloni and look stylish in the dish

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 2

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 50 mins

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add ½ the garlic, cook for a minute then add tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
  2. Cook the giant shells until almost tender. You want to slightly undercook them as you'll be baking them again later. Drain, rinse under cold water then drain completely.
  3. Heat another tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, add the rest of the garlic and the courgettes. It looks like a huge amount of courgette at the start, but it really wilts down. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the courgettes have reduced and all the liquid has cooked off. Cool then stir in the ricotta and zest and half the parmesan. Season well.
  4. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Spoon the tomato sauce into the bottom of a shallow ovenproof baking dish. Stuff a spoonful of courgette mix into each shell then sit in the sauce in rows. Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
Try

Ricotta shells

Buy giant shells in delis and supermarkets, or online at luigismailorder.com

PER SERVING

701 kcalories, protein 33.0g, carbohydrate 87.2g, fat 26.9 g, saturated fat 10.2g, fibre 7.5g, salt 0.9 g

Recipe from olive magazine, June 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo lorraine h.

    14 May 2011

    lorraine h. commented on this recipe

    what can i use instead of courgettes,as my lot dont like them?i was thinking mushrooms?

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  • Binder photo keen-cook

    18 May 2011

    keen-cook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a lovely fresh dish. I used a really good bottle of italian passata instead of the tinned tomatoes. I also made a lovely italian salad to go with and some rustic bread to help mop up the tomato sauce. My husband was complaining at first that there was no meat !!! but wiped the plate clean !!!!!

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  • Binder photo inspirations

    19 May 2011

    inspirations commented on this recipe

    Lorraine, I've a receipe very similar to this which appeared in a Good Food booklet 'Make it Italian' and uses spicy sausages; these are skinned and mixed with garlic, chilli and parsley, then cut into chunks for the filling. Baking time 20-30 mins at Gas 7. Scatter with basil leaves to serve (optional). Very tasty and has been on the occasional menu since 2002, it especially popular during student days.

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  • Binder photo Nicola

    19 May 2011

    Nicola rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    mmmmmm this is lovely! For a change i Stuck to the recipe and it was scrummy. Like eating at a proper Italian restaurant!! Will make it again for sure. I served it with pork steaks as my partner has to have meat!

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  • Binder photo lorraine h.

    20 May 2011

    lorraine h. rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this earlier today for dinner tonight,was easy to make,but i substituted the courgettes for equal quantities of mushrooms and sausages,looks and sells absolutely gorgeous,now cant wait to eat it .

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  • Binder photo Sandra

    22 May 2011

    Sandra rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for dinner ... it is divine!! Yummy! I feel I will be making this time and time again. I did put some spinach in and use less courgette than the receipe said and it was great!

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  • Binder photo Frantic Flapjack

    31 May 2011

    Frantic Flapjack rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This was an unusual way to serve pasta and smelled lovely in the oven. However, I pre-cooked the pasta for 10 minutes before stuffing but I think you need to cook it for longer as in the finished dish, I don't think the pasta was cooked enough. The filling needs to be seasoned well. Served with salad and garlic bread.

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  • Binder photo kiera456

    09 June 2011

    kiera456 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love this recipe! I have made it a few times now and everyone that has tried it loves it too..it is now a firm favourite in our house..

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  • Binder photo Kate

    10 June 2011

    Kate commented on this recipe

    Made this last week for veggie friend (who said she was not expecting "masterchef"!) and two big meat eating men. Everyone loved it and wanted more. Will be making again, and have passed recipe on. Lovely and fresh, would suggest making to anyone, it's a really nice recipe.

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  • Binder photo Lou

    23 June 2011

    Lou commented on this recipe

    I'm desperat to make this but struggling to find anywhere that sells the giant pasta shells, any suggestions?

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  • Binder photo Janet

    19 July 2011

    Janet rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this into a fabulous lasagne

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  • Binder photo lmr236

    09 August 2011

    lmr236 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious and very simple to make. The giant pasta shells are available in our Tesco (and online).

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  • Binder photo Lucy

    28 August 2011

    Lucy rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made this dish as a weeknight tea, enjoyed it but couldn't find the giant pasta shells, so used smaller ones and found stuffing them a little fiddely but enjoyed end result.

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  • Binder photo calimel

    30 August 2011

    calimel rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I mixed it up by adding mushrooms and spinach to the courgette, increasing the veg intake! I also used passata with a garlic clove instead of the tinned tomatoes, which gave it a lovely rich flavour. Really enjoyed it and will be making again.

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  • Binder photo muffins

    16 March 2012

    muffins rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really lovely idea, although courgettes can be a bit bland, so I added chestnut mushrooms. Next time though I would like to add more flavours eg onions, more mushrooms, nutmeg. I also added basil to the tomato sauce. Will make again.

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  • Binder photo whitechoco84

    13 April 2012

    whitechoco84 rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I really didn't rate this that much, I added some diced chilli as the filling was bland so that helped a bit. My boyfriend added some sausage meat to his so won't be making this again!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 2

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 50 mins

Ingredients

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PER SERVING

701 kcalories, protein 33.0g, carbohydrate 87.2g, fat 26.9 g, saturated fat 10.2g, fibre 7.5g, salt 0.9 g

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