Baked conchiglioni pasta shells with spinach and ricotta
This delicious classic Italian baked shells recipe is perfect for family lunches and holiday menus.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 250 g conchiglioni pasta shells ((9oz) you can also use lumaconi)
- 300 g fresh ricotta ((10.5oz))
- 1 kg fresh spinach ((2.2lbs) or 300 g frozen spinach (10.5oz))
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 70 g Parmigiano or Grana cheese ((2.5oz) grated)
- salt (for pasta, tomato sauce and to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 700 g tomato passata (I use rustica) ((1.5lbs) or 400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes (14oz))
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 75 g all purpose flour ((2.6oz))
- 75 g butter ((2.6oz))
- 500 ml milk ((16floz) add more milk if necessary)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 50 g Parmigiano or Grana cheese ((2oz) grated)
Instructions
- 1
Whether using fresh or frozen, cook the spinach as normal without adding any extra liquid. Drain the spinach making sure you have removed as much liquid as possible then, once it has cooled, chop it and mix it in a bowl with the ricotta, the eggs and the Parmigiano, adding nutmeg, salt and pepper as required.
- 2
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt when it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the conchiglioni a little less than the time required for al dente, then drain and let the pasta cool. (it’s better to separate the shells before they cool as they may stick together)
- 3
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet, add the whole peeled garlic cloves and cook until they start to soften and brown. Add the tomato passata or the fresh peeled San Marzano tomatoes (I also like to use half passata and half unpeeled fresh cherry or datterini tomatoes). Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the garlic when the sauce is ready.
- 4
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour a little at a time, whilst stirring continuously, until you have a smooth paste. Add the milk a little at a time, again continuously stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken. If your béchamel seems lumpy you can use a hand blender to make it smoother. I like to add a pinch of nutmeg to the béchamel.
- 5
Cover the bottom of an oven dish with some of the tomato sauce and some béchamel. With the help of a teaspoon or small tablespoon, take a little of the filling and fill each conchiglioni, then place it in the oven dish.
- 6
Add some more béchamel to the top of each pasta shell. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the shells and finish with a sprinkling of Parmigiano, then bake in a preheated oven 180- 200° C for about 20 minutes until the top starts to brown.
- 7
Serve immediately with extra grated Parmigiano or grana if required.