It's all in the Pasta. Baked Stuffed Shells.

I couldn’t get through a week of comfort foods without lauding an Italian dish I grew up on: stuffed shells. Today, the trend is more towards the stuffed manicotti dish -- a simple variation of pasta shape, but some people feel strongly about one versus the other.

I’ve always been partial to the shells, myself so when I found a really great Martha Stewart stuffed manicotti recipe, I of course I tried it with the shells as a substitute. Whatever pasta you use, this is a don’t-miss dish. If you like meat in your meal (pic above) here's another recipe.

The meatless recipe, which I prefer, calls for sun-dried tomatoes, egg yolk and nutmeg added to the ricotta and spices for the filling, which gives it a nice flavoring on top of the tomato sauce you add on top of the pasta once it’s ready to bake.

The real trick is in making the pasta not too overdone or too underdone. I was taught to always boil my pasta, let it cool and then stuff and bake. Martha Stewart suggests in this recipe to soak the no-cook manicotti sheets (or the shells) in a baking dish (or your lasagna pan to save dishes) with hot water and let soften for ten minutes. If you choose to boil, just keep a close eye on the pasta -- it’s hard to fill anything that’s floppy and falling apart.

Once the pasta is filled, the dish needs to be baked with tomato sauce and your favorite cheese. This is a fantastic feel-better food.

Try the shells. They’ll make you smile.

Comments

[daisy barringer]

All of your recipes make me wish I weren't so terrified of cooking. This looks so yummy!