Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Homemade Marinara

A perfect pasta dish with all of the comforts food can bring. Cheese and swirls of pesto fill shells smothered in a herbed tomato sauce.

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prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 1 hr

servings: 3-4

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Ingredients:

STUFFED SHELLS

• 1/2 lb jumbo shells

• 1 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 1/2 cup of basil pesto (store bought or recipe right here)

• 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I actually used grated cheddar, from a local Utah company. Heber Valley Cheese!)

MARINARA SAUCE

• 2 lbs tomatoes

• 5 garlic cloves

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tbsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used fresh basil, oregano and thyme)

• zest of 1 lemon

• pinch of red pepper flakes

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage

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A SIDE NOTE

Almost all of this can be made beforehand and kept in the fridge. You can make extra pesto and use it later for another dish. The same goes for the marinara sauce. It’s a great recipe, so I use it to top all kinds of dishes (and my husband likes dipping pizza in it.) The shells can even be made the day before and cooked before dinner or when guests come.

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Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Start by slicing your tomato into two inch pieces and crushing 5 cloves of garlic with the flat part of a knife blade. Toss the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and salt. If it is not tomato season, you can add a little extra salt to bring out all of the yummy flavors, even in winter tomatoes. Lay the ingredients out flat on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, fill a large pot with water and heat until it boils. Add in your jumbo shells and cook until al dente.

3. If you are making homemade pesto, now is the time to make it. Combine all ingredients in the food processor until smooth.

4. In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and pesto until combined. Place the mixture into a plastic bag, and snip off one corner so you can use it to fill the shells.

5. In a large frying pan, cook the ground Italian sausage until browned.

6. Once the tomatoes are done cooking, take them out of the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees (this is what temperature we’ll use to bake the shells). Combine the tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon zest, and red chili pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth. Pour over the ground beef and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.

7. In a lightly greased 9”x13” pan, pour the red sauce to cover the bottom. Take your cooked pasta shells and fill them with the cheese mixture. Place them throughout the pan. I moved the sauce around so it surrounded the shells a little more, like a cozy blanket. My cheese mixture filled about 12 shells. Cover the shells with some grated mozzarella and stick in the oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese has all melted. I topped with fresh cracked pepper and more basil and thyme. Enjoy!