I love pasta. It’s not always the best way to eat, because there are so many carbohydrates involved, but those carbohydrates (and calories) are delicious. You can’t argue about that ;P Today I got stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach and Ricotta. Classic “soul food” you can definitely treat yourself to from time to time – provided you don’t eat the whole casserole dish alone ;)

Unfortunately, regular pasta is not an ideal food for diabetics… let’s put it this way. Same for white bread and bread rolls, cakes with white wheat flour, and so on… Due to the relatively “simple” design of carbohydrates, they are converted into sugar relatively quickly when digested and that can cause the blood sugar level to rise rapidly after consumption. For someone without diabetes, this is not a problem, because the sugar can normally be processed as fast as it comes in. Here can be problematic, that after a high sugar level, it drops almost as fast again as it has risen, which signals the brain that more “fuel” should be added to the body… which can cause that you are hungry again shortly after eating ;) For diabetics the blood sugar level can remain high for a longer time if you don’t do anything about it… and that can cause a lot of damage if you don’t do anything about it for a longer period of time.
Anyway. This may sound as if I don’t like noodles anymore, but it’s actually the opposite ;) I just have to be a bit more careful when including regular pasta, use it a bit less and enjoy every single time more! Fortunately, there are already many alternatives that can be used instead of regular noodles. Pasta made with chickpeas, lentils, peas, etc. made it to supermarkets a couple of years ago and are better suitable for diabetics. Chickpea paste is actually the best here in my opinion.

For this recipe here I had to use “regular” pasta because it was impossible to find this certain pasta shape (the shells) made with any of those alternatives. If you know anyone making large shells like these here with chickpea… let me know! ;)
The sauce is done in no time – filling the pasta shells takes a bit more time on the other hand. The pasta shells have to be precooked slightly to make them easier to work with. Cook them only for a short time or they will get too soft and then you might break them when adding the filling… For the ricotta and spinach filling, it is best to use a piping bag. That sounds like a lot of effort and a bit complicated, but you will see it’s the easiest way to get the shells stuffed. The result will justify the extra effort you put into this ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the tomato sauce:
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup (60ml) dry red wine
1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable broth
17.6 oz. (500g) tomato passata
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt, pepper
For the noodles & filling:
about 25-30 large pasta shells*
1/2 red onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
7 oz. (200g) baby spinach leaves, washed & roughly-chopped
9 oz. (250g) ricotta cheese
3.5 oz. (100g) mozzarella cheese, grated
1.8 oz. (50g) parmesan cheese, grated (plus more for sprinkling & serving)
1 large egg
salt, pepper
Für die Tomatensoße:
1/2 rote Zwiebel, gehackt
1 EL Olivenöl
60ml trockener Rotwein
60ml Gemüsebrühe
500g Tomaten Passata
1 TL getrockneter Oregano
Salz, Pfeffer
Für die Nudeln & Füllung:
etwa 25-30 große Pasta Muscheln*
1/2 rote Zwiebel, gehackt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
1 EL Olivenöl
200g Babyspinat, gewaschen & grob gehackt
250g Ricotta
100g Mozzarella, gerieben
50g Parmesan, gerieben (plus etwas mehr zum Bestreuen/Servieren)
1 Ei (L)
Salz, Pfeffer


DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Heat up a large pot with salted water and cook the pasta shells about 2 minutes less than recommended for “al dente” – the pasta should be flexible but not too soft. Drain and place the shells next to each other on a plate to cool down a bit. Set aside.
3. Wash, drain and chop the baby spinach leaves roughly. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat up a large pan, add the oil and let it get hot. Add the chopped onion and fry for a minute, then add the chopped garlic and fry until fragrant – another minute or so. Add the chopped spinach and cook until the volume has reduced significantly. Remove from the heat and let cool down.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Add the ricotta, grated mozzarella, parmesan, and egg to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the cooled spinach and mix in. Season well with salt and pepper. Fill the mixture into a piping bag, cut off the tip and fill the cooked pasta shells well with the filling. Add about half of the tomato sauce to a large casserole dish (about 10×6 inches/25x16cm) and place the filled pasta shells on top – the shells should be placed close to each other. Pour the remaining tomato sauce into the gaps between the pasta shells and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool down for a moment, then serve. Sprinkle with some more parmesan cheese if you like. Goes well with a small salad on the side.
2. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen und die Pasta Muscheln etwa 2 Minuten kürzer kochen, als auf der Packung für “al dente” angegeben ist. Die Nudeln sollten flexibel sein, aber nicht zerfallen. Die Nudeln abschütten, abschrecken und dann umgedreht auf einen Teller legen, damit sich kein Wasser in den Muscheln sammelt. Zur Seite stellen.
3. Den Babyspinat waschen und ggf. in kleinere Stücke schneiden. Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Eine große Pfanne erhitzen, Öl dazugeben und heiß werden lassen. Die zurückbehaltene gehackte Zwiebel dazugeben und für eine Minute anschwitzen lassen, dann den Knoblauch dazugeben und mit anschwitzen, bis alles anfängt zu duften – etwa eine Minute mehr. Den Spinat dazugeben und zusammenfallen lassen. Vom Herd ziehen und abkühlen lassen.
4. Den Ofen auf 190°C (375°F) vorheizen. Den Ricotta, geriebenen Mozzarella, Parmesan und das Ei in eine große Schüssel geben und verrühren. Die abgekühlte Spinatmischung dazugeben und alles verrühren. Nach Belieben mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Die Mischung in einen Spritzbeutel füllen, die Spitze abschneiden und dann die gekochten Pasta Muscheln befüllen – jede einzelne Muschel sollte gut gefüllt sein. Etwa die Hälfte der Tomatensoße in einer Auflaufform (etwa 25x16cm/10×6 inches) verteilen und die gefüllten Pasta Muscheln eng aneinander hineinsetzen. Die restliche Tomatensoße in die Lücken füllen bzw. über die Nudeln geben und dann mit etwas geriebenem Parmesan bestreuen. Die Auflaufform mit Alufolie abdecken und dann für etwa 25 Minuten im Ofen backen. Die Folie entfernen und dann noch einmal 10-15 Minuten weiter backen, damit alles etwas Farbe bekommen kann. Aus dem Ofen holen und etwas abkühlen lassen. Vor dem Servieren noch mit etwas geriebenem Parmesan bestreuen (optional). Dazu passt ein leichter Salat.

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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 01:20
- Yield: 4
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Delicious dinner or lunch for pasta fans: pasta shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
Keywords: pasta shells, ricotta, spinach, pasta, tomato