What's For Dinner: Stuffed Shells, v. 2.0

I decided to make another round of stuffed shells for dinner. This time I used Garlic Gold Oil to saute the onions, replaced the spinach with kale, and added in some frozen asparagus. Though the original recipe calls for plain fresh mozzarella, I used some mozzarella balls marinated in olive oil, garlic, and other spices that I had on hand from Whole Foods. The result was as delicious as ever.

Stuffed Shells, v. 2.0 (printer-friendly version)

makes 4 servings

1/2 box jumbo pasta shells (about 14-16)

1 tablespoon Garlic Gold oil

1 white onion, chopped

1 cup frozen asparagus cuts, thawed

small bunch kale, chopped

1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1/2 container part-skim ricotta cheese (15 oz)

1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces (I quartered some mozzarella balls that had been marinated in olive oil and garlic)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups tomato basil sauce

finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season generously with salt.

3. Cook the jumbo pasta shells for ten minutes.

4. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Place the shells in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the Garlic Gold oil. (Alternately, saute two cloves of garlic in the olive oil until golden.)

6. Saute the chopped white onion until softened and lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the thawed asparagus.

7. Stir in the chopped kale and saute until just wilted.

8. Add in the red wine vinegar and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

9. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool.

10. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

11. Pour enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom into a 2-quart dish to cover the bottom.

12. Place the shells in the pasta sauce.

13. Generously stuff each shell with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture.

14. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

15. Remove the baking dish from the oven and uncover. Increase the oven heat to 425 degrees. Continue baking for another 15 minutes, or until the shells are lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly.

16. Serve the shells with additional heated pasta sauce. Garnish with finely grated Parmesan cheese.