Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Boil pasta shells until just shy of al dente. They should have a bit of a bite left to them.

For the sauce:
Heat oil in a large skillet until just shimmering. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and lemon zest. Simmer 7 minutes. Stir in fresh herbs.

For the filling:
While pasta cooks and sauce simmers, combine Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Gently fold in the spinach until evenly dispersed. Vigorous mixing will turn the ricotta green.

To assemble:
In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread enough sauce to coat the bottom evenly. Put about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each shell. Some of the shells will break and won’t be useable; usually I end up with a few leftover.

Place stuffed shells in the pan in a single layer. Spoon remaining sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake 25–30 minutes, until bubbly. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and bubbly.

Notes:
1. If you would like to freeze part of this recipe or are doubling it for freezing, just divide up the shells into portions appropriate for you or your family. Disposable pie plates or bread pans work great for this. Assemble as instructed, but don’t add the final topping with mozzarella and Parmesan. I find those dry out in the freezer and are better when added fresh right before baking. Thaw before baking, or lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and place frozen in a cold oven. I check halfway through cooking and sprinkle a couple tablespoons of water over the top if things are looking dry. Keep covered the whole time if baking directly from the freezer.
2. If you’d like to make this dish more hearty, adding cooked meat to the sauce or the filling is a great way to do that.