Stuffed Shells

[dragnlaw]

So I went to the website as per medtrans recipe suggests from the dinner thread. I started to discuss the recipe and derail the thread a bit so....

I found the writer a little insulting with her terms of how terrible it is to make, precooking, stuffing with a spoon or pastry bag. Which she then turns around and uses a zipper bag snipped. Not sure I understand - she is still going to the trouble of putting it into a bag - using a disposable is easier than a bag which is meant for stuffing or 'excreting' something?

@medtran49 So did you not precook and just use regular shells? I can see that working but you must have to choose your shells with larger openings, no?

The fact that once they are cooked you can actually stuff them with more goodies. I like a nice balance between pasta, sauce and stuffing. Seems that you might be getting less stuffing this way? Or am I being too picky, picky.

 

[medtran49]

Bought 2 boxes of regular shells, picked thru to find more open ones, used a big disposable piping bag with a wide mouthed tube and stuffed. I added a little extra to stuffing mix and made 26 shells versus their 25, half of which went into freezer. I'll use the rest of the shells in a couple dishes upcoming.

I tweaked the sauce a bit. It was a bit bland for our tastes, so I changed recipe to use more red pepper flakes next time. Made a bit more sauce since I added a shell and also to use up what i bought. Also reduced cooking time by a few cause I thought it was a tiny bit overbaked, could be my oven though.

I'll go ahead and post what I have written up even though it's a bit rough. I did clean it up a bit, but not much.

SAUCE
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp dried basil
24 ounces tomato passata
8 oz good tomato sauce
2-1/4 cups water
1-1/2 tsp sugar

FILLING
12 oz (generous 1-1/3 cup) whole milk ricotta
4 oz shredded fontina (1 cup)
2 oz pecorino Romano, grated
2 eggs, beaten
3 oz chopped fresh basil
1-1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt

SHELLS
26 open shells, buy 2 boxes, go thru and pick out open ones
8 oz fontina, shredded

DIRECTIONS

Make sauce like normal.

Mix filling. Bag for piping. Fill shells.

400 degree oven. 13x9 pan. 1 cup sauce in bottom. Shells. Cover shells totally w sauce. Foil cover pan. Bake 40 minutes on sheet pan for boil over. Uncover. Cover top with fontina. Oven for 10 minutes until cheese melts and golden brown spots. Rest for 20 minutes.

Garnish with more fresh basil if desired.

 

[medtran49]

Oh, they had plenty of stuffing.

I appreciated not having to boil, then cool, plus the heavy pot, then pot and colander to clean.

IIRC, the use of a plastic bag was because most people don't have large piping bags and tips. I do because of the cake decorating I used to do. I've piped with a plastic bag before and it's okay, but it's easier to use a piping bag and they aren't expensive.

 

[dragnlaw]

Recipe looks really great! OK, guess I'll take it back... or not. It almost sounded like fear mongering. But then I guess a lot of their recipes do and why should I care when most of their recipes work!

OK - my questions:
26 shells -
stuffed, sauced, cooked, some eaten, some frozen - got it
but did you cook all 26 or did you freeze some before cooking.
Meaning stuffed and frozen?
or stuffed, sauce on and frozen?

if the sauce was on - what did you freeze them in. I once froze something in a foil package (don't remember what) but when I fetched from the freezer the foil had been eaten thru is spots!
Wasn't a disaster - I just lifted it out and put it in a glass oven dish and went ahead and baked it - but I've been leery ever since.

 

[medtran49]

I thought about partially cooking the freezer ones, but then didn't. I had bought some disposable foil, really deep, round casserole baking dishes that came 2 to a pack. Used both. Frozen dish was stuffed and sauced. As soon as I open the other block of fontina that half of is for another meal, I'll shred it, bag and put in with shells so I won't even have to shred cheese next time for top.

The only time I've had an issue with foil in freezer was when stuff didn't get used for a really long time. I've been avoiding that, especially now that I'm doing most of cooking, which is becoming something I want to do less and less of. So, meals that are already mostly done don't stick around for very long.

 

[dragnlaw]

something I want to do less and less of.

same here. I spend more than 1/2 my time planning around the meal to make it go smoothly and without too much traveling to and fro. I'm exhausted by the time the cooking should start. Then I just think on it for several days before doing anything about it.
Haven't had oomph to do eggs, watercolours, pelts, sewing.
Only reason I will suddenly cook something (after 3/4 days thinking on it) is usually because I've run out of cheese and/or crackers.

 

[dcSaute]

I boil & cool the (large) shells, 'untangling' them as soon as they are cool enough to handle - then stuff with a spoon . . . there usually one or two lost to breakage/whatever.

 

[dragnlaw]

Also as I do too @dcSaute Just thought that perhaps the uncooked shell would be easier. But not sure about the piping into hard shells. I'll have to inspect the openings but I suspect there are more small opening than large.
I don't mind waiting to cool. Gives me a break in the process.
Guess I need to "get my skates on" and put a couple of meals in the freezer.

 

[pictonguy]

Yeah, I par boil until al dente and fill and I generally use a dry ricotta, egg, spinach and Parmigiano. I use passata and just lubricate the bottom of a dish and only use a small amount on top and don't cover them in tomato sauce but use more parmigiano. I find this method highlights the ingredients more as opposed to everything drowning in tomato sauce.

 

[dragnlaw]

yes, I also learned it was far tastier with the sauce as a minimum background. Thanks for reminding me for my next one @pictonguy

 

[pictonguy]

yes, I also learned it was far tastier with the sauce as a minimum background. Thanks for reminding me for my next one @pictonguy

I've made both and I prefer the less is more version, and it's what's basically done traditionally in Italy. The heavier tomato use is the version that we in North America have come to use and it is tasty but I still prefer the other. Most American versions of pasta generally like it saucier imo.

 

[dragnlaw]

Spaghetti on my dinner plate - yes I like a lot of sauce. But over the years I find that the sauces are too... tomatoie? . am using a lot less with most other dishes.
Stuffed vegies being one of them. Ravioli.
I found I was getting turned off by the sauce on some dishes. I was making less and less of those dishes and it took me a while to figure out why.

 

[Meryl]

I've never tried filling uncooked pasta shells instead of boiling them first, I would imagine they would need to be covered with quite a large amount of sauce, enough for them to cook well.

 

[medtran49]

Also as I do too @dcSaute Just thought that perhaps the uncooked shell would be easier. But not sure about the piping into hard shells. I'll have to inspect the openings but I suspect there are more small opening than large.
I don't mind waiting to cool. Gives me a break in the process.
Guess I need to "get my skates on" and put a couple of meals in the freezer.

I boil & cool the (large) shells, 'untangling' them as soon as they are cool enough to handle - then stuff with a spoon . . . there usually one or two lost to breakage/whatever.
View attachment 78616

Yeah, I par boil until al dente and fill and I generally use a dry ricotta, egg, spinach and Parmigiano. I use passata and just lubricate the bottom of a dish and only use a small amount on top and don't cover them in tomato sauce but use more parmigiano. I find this method highlights the ingredients more as opposed to everything drowning in tomato sauce.

Like I wrote previously, I bought 2 boxes. Got most of them out of 1 box. Again, I'll use the rest in 2 upcoming meals, an out of the ordinary mac and cheese, and a pasta bake with leftover Sunday gravy that I froze a few weeks ago. We bought ricotta at a bulk place so I've got over 2 pounds to use up. Funny thing, that 3 pound container of ricotta cost a little over $1 more than a pound container at grocery.

I always used to precook the shells as well, but I won't be doing that anymore. It's easier to fill the dry shells now that I know I can do without precooking, and the shells actually get done. If you don't want it so tomatoey, then cut down on the tomato product and increase the water or use stock to add some flavor.

I broke it up. Made the sauce and let it cook while I made the filling. Got Craig to hold the bag while I filled it since I was getting tired and didn't want to mess with getting one of the big glasses down to hold the bag while I filled it. Took a break at that point.

I use a rolling stool to sit on when I prep and sometimes cook, depending on what it is. It's difficult for me to stand for extended periods of time, so I sit when I can.

 

[medtran49]

I've never tried filling uncooked pasta shells instead of boiling them first, I would imagine they would need to be covered with quite a large amount of sauce, enough for them to cook well.

The sauce recipe comes out very watery, as was noted previously, nor was it very flavorful before baking. I was actually a bit hesitant when I saw and tasted the sauce before baking, but it worked quite well.

 

[dragnlaw]

In my dream kitchen that rolling stool is a given!

I use a rolling stool to sit on when I prep and sometimes cook, depending on
what it is. It's difficult for me to stand for extended periods of time, so I sit when I can.

The sauce recipe comes out very watery, as was noted previously, nor was it very flavorful before baking.

Yes, I assumed it would have been. That extra liquid is for the pasta to cook. Having done the lasagna with the 'precooked' noodles where one has to add the extra liquid for it - I guess it is just a given fact for any other uncooked pasta, no?

 

[In A Pickle]

Ooh this thread made me sad that coeliac disease means I’ll never get to try this as there are no GF conchiglioni.
Well there wasn’t a while ago but there is now! So thats a nice little Saturday morning boost isn’t it

 

[pictonguy]

Ooh this thread made me sad that coeliac disease means I’ll never get to try this as there are no GF conchiglioni.
Well there wasn’t a while ago but there is now! So thats a nice little Saturday morning boost isn’t it

There's several high‑quality Italian brands that make them from corn + rice flour that are also bronze‑drawn, slow‑dried, and suitable for stuffing, so get to it.

 

[In A Pickle]

There's several high‑quality Italian brands that make them from corn + rice flour that are also bronze‑drawn, slow‑dried, and suitable for stuffing, so get to it.

Tenuta Mamorelle is the only GF large shell conchiglioni I’ve ever seen in the UK.
Lots of little shells, but never large.

I do like Tenuta Mamorelle, I have some in my pantry right now but in all honesty it’s really not the best GF pasta which with a very high price tag you would expect it to be.
£6.85 (plus £5.00 postage and packing) for just 500grams/1llb of pasta shells is a high price tag for something that’s not top notch.

Rummo pasta currently rules the gluten free waves.

 

[medtran49]

Tenuta Mamorelle is the only GF large shell conchiglioni I’ve ever seen in the UK.
Lots of little shells, but never large.

I do like Tenuta Mamorelle, I have some in my pantry right now but in all honesty it’s really not the best GF pasta which with a very high price tag you would expect it to be.
£6.85 (plus £5.00 postage and packing) for just 500grams/1llb of pasta shells is a high price tag for something that’s not top notch.

Rummo pasta currently rules the gluten free waves.

What about the canneloni tubes? They would be super easy to fill.