• 1/2 of a 12 ounces box jumbo pasta shells (approximately 18 shells)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking sheet
  • 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
  • 2 cups containers whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, curly or flat leaf
  • 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Who doesn’t love stuffed shells? Yum!

I must admit however that I have not always enjoyed the grainy and somewhat heavy texture of ricotta filling until I discovered that adding egg yolks creates a lovely, creamy and light filling. This recipe is perfect during the cold winter months. I served it this week for my family with my grandmother’s meatball recipe!

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter or oil and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still quite firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. The shells will continue to cook in the oven after they have been stuffed. Using a slotted spoon. Place in a colander under cold water for a few seconds. Spread the shells out in your baking dish so that they don’t stick together.

3. Make your filling by stirring the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolks, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Spoon 1 cup of your marinara sauce into the buttered baking dish. Fill each cooked shell with the cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell and return back to the prepared dish. When all the shells are filled and placed back into the baking dish, spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake in the lower third of your oven until the filling is heated through and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.