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Shrimp Stuffed Pasta Shells with Wilted Salad Greens

Course Main Dish
Servings 4

Ingredients

THE SHELLS

  • 20+ Jumbo Pasta Shells

THE SHRIMP

  • 1 pound Shrimp 16-20 count, peeled, deveined, each shrimp chopped into 5 pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 cup Shallots, minced (approximately 2 medium shallots)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic chopped (approximately 3 medium cloves)
  • 2 teaspoons Olive Oil

THE RICOTTA MIXTURE

  • 2 cups Ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup Italian Shredded Cheese combination of Provolone, Mozzarella and Parmesan,
  • 1 Egg whisked
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Parsley fresh, minced
  • 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice fresh
  • 1 teaspoon Salt Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

MAKING THE STUFFED SHELLS

  • 1/2 cup Grana Pradana or Parmesan shredded

ROASTED TOMATOES

  • 1 pound Vine Ripe Tomatoes chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Thyme dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon Oregano dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon Basil dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

WILTED GREEN SALAD

  • 6 oz Bacon cut into ¼ inch strips
  • 2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice fresh
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Light Agave or Honey
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 pound Spring Mix or Baby Spinach
  • 1/2 Red Onion sliced into thin rings

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

  • 1/2 gallon Whole Milk
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice fresh

Instructions

THE SHELLS

  • A package comes with 42 shells. I cooked a couple extra just in case a few did not come out in perfect form.
  • Cook the shells according to the package direction.
  • Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. You want them to be al dente, slightly firm because we’ll be cooking them again.
  • Set to the side. Drizzle with a little olive oil if they start to stick together.

THE SHRIMP

  • Heat a 10–12-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium low heat.
  • Add the oil.
  • Season the shrimp with salt.
  • Sautee the shallots and shrimp for 2 minutes. Stir shrimp and add garlic and red pepper flakes, sautéing an additional 3 minutes.
  • Set to the side to cool. *If you are using a regular sauté pan, you will need a little more oil.

THE RICOTTA MIXTURE

  • Mix all the above ingredients.
  • Add the cooked shrimp to the ricotta mixture, along with the shallots, garlic, and juices from the sauté pan. Set to the side.

MAKING THE STUFFED SHELLS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Fill each shell with the shrimp stuffing, a heaping tablespoon in each shell.
  • Sprinkle top of shells with fresh grated Grana Pradana. *Can be done up to this point a day before.

ROASTED TOMATOES

  • In a medium size bowl, toss tomatoes with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper.

COOKING THE SHELLS AND TOMATOES

  • Spray a large roasting or lasagna pan with Pam.
  • Pour tomatoes and all the juices on the bottom of the pan.
  • Top with the stuffed shells.
  • Cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes.

WILTED GREEN SALAD

  • Sauté the bacon strips over medium heat until crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon.
  • Run the bacon fat through a fine sieve to remove bacon remnants. You will need ½ cup of bacon fat. Add olive oil to bacon fat if needed to reach the ½ cup.
  • In a small sauce pan, heat bacon fat over medium low heat.
  • Add the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and agave. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk to emulsify the dressing.
  • Place the spring mix in a bowl and toss dressing.

THE PLATING

  • Place spinach on each dinner plate and top with bacon and red onion. Place 5 stuffed shells on top of salad. Spread roasted tomatoes over shells and salad. Serve.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA

  • You’ll need cheese cloth, a large colander and a bowl.
  • Line a large colander with the cheese cloth and place over a bowl.
  • In a large soup pot (6 quart), slowly bring milk and heavy cream with the salt to a rolling boil. Stir often to ensure the milk does not scorch the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. Stir for 2 minutes. The curds will separate from the milk.
  • Pour through the cheese clothed lined colander and let drain for 1 hour. Discard the drained liquid *That’s it! It will stay fresh in your refrigerator for 5 days. You can also freeze it. Previous frozen is good for recipes where the ricotta is going to be heated.