Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Pesto and Ricotta

Category

Casseroles

Servings

6

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

  1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F. (If freezing and saving for later, disregard this step now.)
  2. COOK shells by following the package directions, or 8-10 minutes, until al dente. When done, rinse the noodles in cool water.
  3. COMBINE 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.
  4. POUR half of the jar of pasta sauce into a 9×12 baking or casserole dish.
  5. FILL the cooked, cooled shells with ricotta-pesto mixture. Place stuffed shells into the pasta sauce in the baking dish in rows.
  6. TOP the shells with the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Cover loosely with foil.
  7. 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:

  1. 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%
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Cheese As You Please

Our naturally-aged cheddars have 0g of lactose per serving! So go ahead, dig in.

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