Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Whenever I get the organic juicing box from my CSA, it usually comes with two bunches of kale. Chad uses one bunch for smoothies/juice, but I try to find a way to incorporate the other bunch into dinner. These Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells were a great way for Evan to eat some vegetables. They can also be prepared up to a day before and refrigerated until ready to bake. Just add about 10 minutes to the baking time. The original recipe calls for blanching the kale before adding to the filling. I skipped that step and added chopped kale to the pan until wilted.

You can fill the shells using a spoon, but I use a piping or small plastic bag to fill them. I can prepare them much quicker this way. Fill a piping or quart size plastic bag with filling and snip off a corner to make a 1/2 inch hole if using a plastic bag. Pipe the filling into each shell. I also do this with manicotti and cannelloni.

Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Adapted from Dainty Chef, from A Food Centric Life

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Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Course Main

Cuisine N/A

Keyword cheese, kale, pasta, ricotta, shells

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 16 Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 16 jumbo pasta shells
• 9 ounces kale stems removed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan divided
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 25-30 ounces tomato sauce divided

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle with salt and add shells. Boil until al dente, just tender, drain, and rinse. Place shells on work surface.
• In a medium skillet, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds-1 minute. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in kale mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread about 1 cup tomato sauce to cover the bottom.
• Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the kale mixture. Place the filled shells in prepared baking dish. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through and sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.