Three Cheese Jumbo Shells -- Brenda’s Spirit Lives in Every Melted Layer

April rain and the redbud out by the church. Three days of counseling at the middle school in East Point. The work was the work.

Daddy in his apartment in the back. I brought him his coffee and his medication this morning. He grumbled. The grumble was the love. Marcus, 20, studying for finals at Alabama.

Baked mac and cheese. Three cheeses. Brown crust. Brenda's recipe with extra sharp cheddar.

Jasmine, 18, home from Howard for the weekend. Isaiah, 17, shot baskets in the driveway after school.

Sunday dinner held. The table was full. The food was right.

I went to the cemetery Saturday morning. Brenda's grave is on the hill at South-View. Curtis still goes most Sundays. I left a small bouquet of magnolias.

Pastor preached about the prodigal son again. He preaches about that boy at least three times a year. The text is the text but every preaching is different. I cried in the second service this time. Don't ask me why.

Derek and I had date night Friday. Same restaurant, same booth, same enchiladas for me and carne asada for him.

I made a casserole for the church potluck. The pan came back empty. That is the only review I trust.

The neighbors had a Friday cookout this week. I brought my mac and cheese. They have come to expect this. I have come to expect this. The block is the block.

Saturday morning I had Set the Table at the Cascade Heights center. Twelve young women. We did baked chicken. One of them — Imani, sixteen — was so afraid of seasoning that she barely shook the salt. I stood next to her and put my hand over hers and said, baby, you cannot be afraid of food. We seasoned the chicken. The chicken came out right. She glowed.

The kids were home for the weekend. The house was loud the way it should be.

Sunday service at New Birth this morning. The choir sang. I sang soprano in the second alto row. Pastor preached about Naomi and Ruth. The congregation said amen. I said amen.

Wednesday Bible study at the church. We read through Proverbs. The women in my row argued about whether wisdom is built or born. I said both. They agreed, sort of.

The blood pressure check was Wednesday. The numbers were borderline. The doctor wants me to walk more. I am walking more.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. Some novel about a Black woman in 1960s Alabama. Mama would have liked it.

Darnell sent a photo from Clarksville. The garden is producing. He grew tomatoes the size of softballs. I sent him back a photo of my sweet potato casserole. We are competitive about food now in our middle age.

Thursday I made cornbread for a sister at church whose husband had surgery. I dropped it off at the hospital. She cried at the door. I told her, eat the cornbread, baby. The food is the saying.

Andre called from LA. He told the Kevin Hart story again. Twenty-some years and that boy is still telling that story. Everyone in this family is going to hear about Kevin Hart at our funerals.

Miss Ernestine called Tuesday. She's ninety-something and sharp as ever. She told me my potato salad still needs more mustard.

Tuesday evening I sat at the kitchen table with my composition notebook and worked on the cookbook. From Brenda's Kitchen — that's the working title. I cannot write the introduction without crying yet.

Daddy sat in his chair after dinner watching the news. He fell asleep before the third quarter. Standard.

This week the mac and cheese showed up everywhere — at the church potluck, at the neighbors’ Friday cookout, at the table where Daddy fell asleep before the third quarter — and every time, it was Brenda’s recipe holding the room together. I’m still working up to writing that introduction in my composition notebook, still can’t get through it without crying, but the cooking I can do. These Three Cheese Jumbo Shells are the spirit of that baked mac and cheese in a different form: three cheeses, a bubbling crust, and the kind of dish you bring somewhere knowing it will come back empty — which, around here, is the only review that counts.

Three Cheese Jumbo Shells

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

Ingredients

• 1 box (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups your favorite marinara or tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the baking dish
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo shells according to package directions until just al dente — they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain gently, rinse with cool water, and lay flat on a lightly oiled sheet pan so they don’t stick together.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Add the beaten eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together until well combined and creamy.
3. Prep the baking dish. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Rub a 9x13-inch baking dish with the butter. Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce across the bottom of the dish and spread it in an even layer.
4. Fill the shells. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, generously fill each cooked shell with the three-cheese mixture — don’t be shy. Nestle the filled shells snugly into the sauced baking dish, open side up.
5. Top and finish. Stir the milk into the remaining 1 cup of tomato sauce and spoon it evenly over the filled shells. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan across the top in an even, generous layer.
6. Bake covered. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese inside is melted through.
7. Brown the crust. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 12–15 minutes, until the top is golden and spotted with brown. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg