Serves 4 to 6
Notes
This is another one of those dishes where you do not boil the pasta in advance, so you have to make sure there is enough liquid in the baking pan for the pasta to cook while in the oven. You can spoon the filling into the shells if you like, but the easiest and quickest thing to do is to put it in a quart-sized zip-top plastic bag (or piping bag). Press out the excess air, and snip a hole (one large enough for the shreds of cheese to come out without sticking) in one corner; then pipe the filling into the shells. This is a great dish to make when you have a crowd coming: you can multiply the recipe and make two or three baking dishes of it, as long as your oven can handle it.
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh ricotta
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
- 4 scallions, green parts included, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the egg, 1/4 cup of the Grana Padano, the scallions, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread about 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill the shells with the ricotta mixture (see headnote for instructions). Arrange in the baking dish. Stir together the remaining sauce and 1 1/2 cups water. Spoon this over the shells. Cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until it’s browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes more, and serve.
