FOOD NEWS
Deconstruct Stuffed Shells For An Easy Weeknight Dinner Alternative
By Carly Weaver
Stuffed shells may seem like a challenging recipe as it requires large pasta shells to be parboiled, a decadent filling to be made, and each of those edible bowls to be stuffed and nestled in a sauce before finally baking. Instead, try deconstructing it by not stuffing your stuff shells, and the best part is it only requires one pan and doesn’t need parboiling.
First, start by mixing your ricotta and parmesan cheese filling and setting it aside, then sauté some vegetables until they are soft; these can be onions, leeks, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, or you can include ground meat. Add garlic and any seasonings and spices before adding some dry wine and letting it evaporate.
Next, mix in some water, heavy cream, and the pasta—or you can even use orecchiette or ziti—and then simmer and stir for about 15 minutes until the pasta cooks through. Then dollop on the cheese mixture, sprinkle with some more parmesan and bake the skillet in the oven for about five minutes to cook and brown the cheese, and that's all there is to it.