Best Stuffed Shells —rsquo; Made for the Long Vigil

Danny is in the hospital for the ninth day. He has stabilized somewhat — the infection is responding to the antibiotics, the oxygen is helping, he is alert in the mornings and sleeping most of the afternoons. The doctors are no longer saying the thing they said the first night. They are saying: improved, stable, monitoring. I am taking those words with care, accepting them without leaning on them too hard, the way you accept improvements in a fragile situation.

I have been cooking for the hospital in the way I know how to cook for crises: big batches of things that are easy to transport and easy to eat and that taste like someone made them specifically for you. I made chicken and hominy soup Monday, the one I have been making since Danny was hospitalized two years ago. I made bean bread. I made tamales from the remaining frozen batch. Terry eats at the hospital. Caleb eats at the hospital. I eat at the hospital. We take turns at the vigil the way shifts turn over on a pipeline project: orderly, no gaps, always someone there.

Kai knows his grandfather is in the hospital. He is six years old and we have told him honestly: Grandpa Danny's lungs are very sick and he is in the hospital where the doctors can help him. He has not cried. He has gone to school every day. He has been quieter than usual. He asked me Wednesday if Danny was going to die. I said: everyone dies someday, Grandpa Danny's lungs are working very hard right now, we do not know when. He said: "Is he scared?" I said I did not think so. He said: "Good." He went back to his reading. Six years old and he asked the right question. He will make a good man, this boy. I have always known that. Watching it come true is something else entirely.

The chicken and hominy soup, the bean bread, the tamales — those are the foods I reach for first because they are ours, they are Danny’s, they carry something the hospital walls cannot. But when the frozen tamales were gone and I needed one more thing, something I could pull from the oven and hand off without ceremony, I made these stuffed shells. They travel well. They reheat without complaint. They are the kind of food that does not demand attention from the people eating it, which is exactly what a vigil requires.

Best Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 6–8

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells
• 2 (15 oz) containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3 cups marinara sauce, divided
• Olive oil, for the pan

Instructions

1. Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo shells 1–2 minutes less than the package directions so they are just barely al dente — they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain, rinse under cool water, and spread on a baking sheet to dry. Set aside.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, eggs, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
3. Prepare the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of the dish.
4. Fill the shells. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, fill each shell generously with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in a single layer, open side up, in the prepared baking dish.
5. Top and cover. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of marinara sauce over the filled shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
6. Bake covered. Bake covered for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the shells are heated through.
7. Finish uncovered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 740mg