Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Pesto and Ricotta
Category
Casseroles
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 package jumbo pasta shells, or about 30 shells
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
12 ounces Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups), divided
- 1 (6.5 ounce) jar pesto (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 (25 ounce) jar marinara sauce
Directions
- PREHEAT oven to 375°F. (If freezing and saving for later, disregard this step now.)
- COOKÂ shells by following the package directions, or 8-10 minutes, until al dente. When done, rinse the noodles in cool water.
- COMBINEÂ the ricotta, half of the shredded cheddar, pesto, Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic salt in a bowl. Mix all of these ingredients together until smooth.
- POUR half of the jar of pasta sauce into a 9×12 baking or casserole dish.
- FILLÂ the cooked, cooled shells with ricotta-pesto mixture. Place stuffed shells into the pasta sauce in the baking dish in rows.
- TOPÂ the shells with the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Cover loosely with foil.
- BAKE in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, removing foil half-way through, until top is golden and bubbly. Alternatively see freezing directions below.
Freezer Directions:
To freeze for future meals, cover the unbaked dish with foil and freeze. Make sure to include thawing and cooking directions on top of the foil. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or cook straight from the freezer. Plan a full extra hour to bake if cooking from frozen. Pre-baked shells can also be frozen and reheated.
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1/6 recipe
- per serving
- Calories
- 720
Amount/Serving
% Daily Value
- Fat
- 39 grams
- 60%
- Saturated Fat
- 16 grams
- 80%
- Cholesterol
- 90 milligrams
- 30%
- Sodium
- 1530 milligrams
- 64%
- Carbs
- 61 grams
- 20%
- Fiber
- 5 grams
- Sugar
- 10 grams
- Protein
- 34 grams
- Calcium
- 703 milligrams
- 70%