Spicy Chorizo & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I have a few memories of making stuffed shells with my Grandma on Christmas Eve. They were traditional stuffed shells - with ground beef, ricotta cheese, and lots of Italian Seasonings. We would make pans of them to serve while the family trickled in an out of the house. Not only were the shells delicious, but the memories were even better. My hope is that you make this recipe with people that you love, and build some of your own memories.

I’m a big fan of recipes that are versatile. This one definitely checks that box. You can change out the protein, seasonings and cheeses and still end up with a stuffed shell. It’s really hard to mess this one up. For this one, I used chorizo, Chorizo is a spicy pork sausage that is generally seasoned with garlic, ground peppers and some herbs. It’s not usually found in stuffed shells. But, its 2020 - so we’re throwing the rules out the window. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

1 pound chorizo

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 box large pasta shells

2 jars pasta sauce

1 cup spinach, chiffonade

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Chopped parsley for garnish

Recipes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring about 10 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt to season the pasta water. When water is boiling, add pasta shells to water and cook until done. Drain and set aside.

3. In a heavy bottom pot, over medium heat, warm a few tablespoons of oil. Once heated, add chorizo to pan. Cook through.

4. Once chorizo is cooked, to the pot, add 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 1 tablespoon of dried basil, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Stir until combined. Remove from heat.

5. To the chorizo, add spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper, 1 cup of parmesan cheese and 1 cup shredded cheese. Stir until combined.

6. In the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, pour in a layer of your favorite tomato sauce.

7. Begin to stuff your shells with a few tablespoons of the chorizo mixture. Place in the pan. Continue stuffing shells until you are done.

8. Pour an additional layer of sauce over the stuffed shells. Top with remaining parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and parsley.

9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 10 minutes of until cheese is golden and bubbly.

10. Top with parsley and enjoy!

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