Discard the whey that's drained from the ricotta (or blend it into a smoothie), then mix the drained ricotta with some cubed fresh mozzarella, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and herbs in a medium bowl.

When the ricotta has drained, it's time to make the cheese filling. Or for an even easier approach, try these tips for jazzing up a jar of canned sauce. For an easier version, you can also use Marcella Hazan's classic three-ingredient tomato sauce (just canned tomatoes, onion, and butter). Bastianich's recipe calls for making a fresh tomato sauce by making a puree from whole canned tomatoes (a food mill or a food processor works great for this), then cooking the puree down with garlic, red-pepper flakes, and basil. The second step of any great stuffed shell is the sauce. Add the ricotta, cover the bowl, and chill for at least 8 hours (or up to overnight). First, line a colander or fine-mesh seize with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. In order to make the filling rich and creamy instead of loose and wet, start by draining the ricotta of excess whey.

Garnish with basil leaves before serving.Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone 1.

Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator up to two days.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese on top.

Remove aluminum foil, raise the temperature to 425 F (220 C) and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp the top of the shells.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle half the parmesan cheese on top of the shells.

Stuff each shell with 2 tablespoons of spinach artichoke mixture and nestle them into the tomato layer in the pan.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine.

Pour the diced tomatoes into an 11'x7' pan (or another baking pan).

Avoid making it a paste - keep ingredients chunky.

Add the spinach-onion mixture, artichokes, and ricotta to a food processor and pulse till all ingredients are combined.

Add the spinach to the onions and sauté till spinach is wilted (about one minute).

Then add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. When the oil is hot, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan.

Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Boil, following package directions till al dente (6 minutes for my shells).

Add the pasta shells and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.

I hope you enjoy these spinach artichoke stuffed shells recipe! Don't be put off by the total time on this recipe - you will have at least 30 minutes of hands-off cook time.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Zucchini, Mozzarella, & Tomatoes.

Orzo Salad with Chicken and Bell Peppers.

If you enjoy healthier pasta recipes, I’ve got a bunch of recommendations for you! The best way to keep pasta healthy is to add the good stuff to it - think vegetables, tomato sauce, etc.

Don’t overfill the shells, it will cause them to break.

Keep the shells very al dente - they will continue to cook while they bake, so don’t over boil them.

If it seems loose or wet, drain the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.

Make sure your cheese (ricotta in this case) is not very wet.

Make more shells than you’ll need, in case any break.When you’re making stuffed pasta shells, there are a few things to keep in mind: They are cheesy pasta deliciousness at its best! Tips for Making Stuffed Pasta Shells These spinach artichoke stuffed pasta shells are a delicious, vegetarian recipe.

Giant stuffed macaroni shells