Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells

Seminar presentation went well. Dr. Hennessy said I clearly had "personal investment in the material" which I took as a compliment, even though she may have meant it as an observation. She asked me to stay after class for a few minutes and told me that she had been watching me all semester and that she thought I was going to be a really good teacher. I said thank you and made it to the parking lot before I cried. Then I sat in my car for ten minutes and thought: I almost did not come back. I am so glad I came back.

Last week of classes. The campus has that end-of-semester energy where everyone is simultaneously exhausted and manic — all-nighters, empty pizza boxes in the hallway, people crying in the study rooms. I have been there. This year I am just tired. Regular tired, not grief tired. There is a difference and I know what it feels like now.

Went home to Oak Lawn this weekend. Patty had bought the ingredients for my favorite: baked ziti, her version, with Italian sausage and three kinds of cheese. She makes it in the big casserole dish that has been in the family since before I was born — dark blue with a lid that does not fit perfectly anymore. The pasta gets a little crunchy on top where the cheese bubbles. That is the best part.

Steve said "Good work this semester" at dinner, which is the Steve equivalent of a standing ovation. Babcia Rose had come over — she lives three blocks away and drops in on Sunday afternoons — and she ate two portions of the ziti and said nothing about it, which from Babcia Rose means it was very good. She asked me when I was going to graduate. I said December. She nodded. She said "Then we will have a party." I drove back to DeKalb very happy.

That drive back to DeKalb, I kept replaying the whole weekend — Dr. Hennessy’s words in the parking lot, Steve’s quiet “good work,” Babcia Rose already planning the December party. But what I kept coming back to was that dark blue casserole dish, the cheese crisping at the edges while we all just sat there being normal together. I can’t always make it home, but I can make something that carries that same feeling — and these cheesy spinach stuffed shells, baked until golden with three kinds of cheese bubbling over the top, are exactly what I turn to when I need to remember that things are going really, genuinely okay.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 box (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped (or one 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly across the bottom. Set aside.
Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo shells 2 minutes less than the package directions (they will finish cooking in the oven). Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking, and spread on a baking sheet so they don’t stick together.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the egg, spinach, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir until fully combined.
Stuff the shells. Using a spoon or small cookie scoop, fill each shell with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Nestle the filled shells snugly in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
Top and cover. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over and between the shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake covered. Bake covered for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Uncover and brown. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted, golden, and slightly crispy at the edges. That crispy cheese edge is the best part — don’t skip it.
Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Scatter fresh basil over the top and serve straight from the baking dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells — The Casserole Dish That Always Means Home