Cookin' with Moxie

 

Have I told you about my love for all things with cheese? A recipe that starts with “Four Cheese”… now you’re talking! This pasta dish includes the more-famous Italian cheeses that are dear to my heart. Once you make this, I’m sure they will be to you too. Stuffed shells was considered a “big event” dish in my family; it wasn’t something that we ate on any normal weeknight, but why not I say?! You can get crazy by filling your pasta shells with anything that makes you swoon such as sausage, chicken, mushrooms, spinach; you name it. Me? I am satisfied with just the cheese please.

The cheese filling in these shells is sooo velvety smooth but with a salty bite to it. Each one of these cheeses goes perfectly with the other so that there is no one in the spotlight. I somehow ran out of filling needed to fill all of the shells, but I was only shy by about eight of them. I think I really stuff my shells to the brim! Whoops…

Four Cheese Stuffed Shells (adapted from Pioneer Woman and Rachael Ray)
Ingredients:

• 1 lb jumbo pasta shells
• 30 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup provolone cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water liberally and add pasta. Cook the shells until soft but not cooked through (about half the cooking time shown on the box). Drain pasta and set aside until filling is ready.
2. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone in a large bowl. Mix it all together, then add garlic powder, egg, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. In a 13×9 casserole dish pour half of marinara sauce. Fill partially baked shells with rounded spoonfuls of cheese mixture and arrange them seam side up in the casserole dish. Top shells with other half of the marinara sauce and the other 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Garnish with minced parsley and basil (optional).
4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 15-20 minutes longer or until the sauce starts to bubble. Serve immediately.

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Nights. It is a weekly blogging event that was started by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast over 3 years ago! Tutti Mangia!

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