How were Wayne's stuffed shells? If they were good, why don't you print the recipe? (see post below featuring our smiling chef)
Lorlee, we are reheating the leftovers. The dish is wonderful. Toothsome. Inspired. And there is nothing like pasta leftovers. The recipe was an Emeril Lagasse concoction featured on the Food Network web site. Wayne is now gone, merrily making cabbage rolls with his sister in Phoenix. But we downloaded the recipe he seemed to be working off of, or one similar. Some times Wayne can be a bit private about recipes. This wasn't any secret, but we did sort of spy on him. We note that Wayne used real garlic and didn't use the "essence" mention in this recipe. Enjoy, Lorlee, and any others who want to give this a try. For our part, we'll enjoy our leftovers tonight.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
- 2 cups finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.
In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground veal and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, Essence, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.
Pour the Basic Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
