SIZZLE & SCORE
WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE
S&S GAME PLAN

Baked Four-Cheese
Stuffed Shells

Garlic Bread • Chopped Tomato & Feta Salad

Cheesy four-cheese stuffed shells baked in marinara with golden garlic bread and a fresh tomato-feta salad on the side. Most of the work gets done before she arrives, so you're not stuck in the kitchen all night. Do the work early. Take the credit later.

Twilight poolside Italian date-night dinner with baked four-cheese stuffed shells
♨
SERVES
2
◷
PREP
30 MIN
♨
COOK
30 MIN
★
DIFFICULTY
★★☆☆☆

WHAT YOU’RE MAKING

Baked Four-Cheese
Stuffed Shells
Golden
Garlic Bread
Chopped Tomato
& Feta Salad

THE DRINKS

Bourbon Amaretto Sour

PER PERSON
1½ oz bourbon
¾ oz amaretto
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Ice
Fill a shaker halfway with ice. Add the bourbon, amaretto and fresh lemon juice. Shake hard for 10–15 seconds until the shaker feels cold. Fill a rocks glass with fresh ice and strain the drink over it.
Learning Point — Shake It Cold Shaking doesn't just chill the drink. It adds a little water, which smooths out the bourbon, amaretto and lemon and brings the whole thing together.

S&S Move: Make hers first. Hand it to her. Then make yours. That’s called having your priorities straight.

WHAT YOU NEED

Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells

  • 20–24 jumbo pasta shells
  • Kosher salt for pasta water
  • 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¾ cup shredded fontina
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella, for top
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan, for top
  • Fresh parsley, to finish

Marinara

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 24 oz good-quality marinara — Rao’s recommended
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • A few cracks black pepper
The Jar Is Doing Most of the Work
A good marinara gets you most of the way there. Shallot, garlic, a touch of sugar and a few minutes on the stove make it taste like you actually tried.

Garlic Bread

  • ½ Italian or French loaf
  • 3 Tbsp softened butter
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • Pinch salt

Chopped Tomato & Feta Salad

  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ English cucumber, chopped
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ bell pepper, chopped
  • ⅔ cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt

Gear

  • Large pot
  • Large skillet or saucepan
  • Baking dish
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Small bowl or jar for salad dressing
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Foil
  • Cocktail shaker
  • 2 rocks glasses

BEFORE SHE GETS THERE

  • Build the shells early. Cook the pasta, make the filling and marinara, stuff the shells and get the whole baking dish assembled. Cover it and refrigerate it.
  • Get the garlic bread ready. Mix the butter, granulated garlic, parsley and salt. Spread it on the bread so all you have to do later is bake it.
  • Prep the salad. Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, feta and parsley. Mix the dressing separately. Do not toss the salad yet.
  • Set up the drinks. Bourbon, amaretto, fresh lemon juice, shaker and glasses ready. Make sure you have plenty of ice. Have the Chianti ready for dinner.
  • Clean the evidence. Pasta pot washed. Counters wiped. Sink empty. Nobody needs to know what happened here.
  • Clean yourself up. Shower. Clean shirt. Brush your teeth. Easy on the cologne—this isn't the Axe body spray aisle.
  • Set the room. Music on. Lights down. Table ready. You're making dinner, not conducting an interrogation.
  • Hit the bathroom. Quick wipe-down and, for God’s sake, man, make sure there’s toilet paper.
Food ready.
Place ready.
You’re ready. It’s game time.

PLAY BY PLAY

  1. GET THE SHELLS GOING
    Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add 20–24 jumbo pasta shells and cook them 2 minutes shy of the package directions. Drain and let them cool just enough to handle.
  2. MAKE THE MARINARA
    Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small finely minced shallot and cook about 2 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds. Stir in 24 oz marinara, ½ tsp sugar, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a few cracks of black pepper. Simmer 5–10 minutes.
LEARNING MOMENT — THE JAR IS YOUR FRIEND A good jar of marinara gets you 90% there. Shallot, garlic, a touch of sugar and a few minutes on the stove handle the other 10%. The sugar isn't there to make it sweet—it rounds out the acidity.

S&S Move: Start with Rao's and don't apologize for it. You've got a date coming over, not an Italian grandmother grading your sauce.
  1. MAKE THE FOUR-CHEESE FILLING
    In a large bowl combine 15 oz whole-milk ricotta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ¾ cup shredded fontina, ½ cup finely grated Parmesan, 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
  2. BUILD THE SHELLS
    Spread a layer of marinara across the bottom of your baking dish. Fill each cooled shell generously with the four-cheese mixture and nestle it into the sauce. Spoon more marinara over the shells. Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup grated Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to bake.
  3. MAKE THE GARLIC BREAD
    Mix 3 Tbsp softened butter, ½ tsp granulated garlic, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley and a pinch of salt. Spread it over ½ Italian or French loaf. Set it aside for later.
  4. PREP THE SALAD
    Combine 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes, ½ chopped English cucumber, ¼ thinly sliced red onion, ½ chopped bell pepper, ⅔ cup crumbled feta and 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley. In a separate bowl or jar combine 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp salt. Keep the dressing separate until dinner.
  5. BAKE THE SHELLS
    Heat the oven to 375°F. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown.
    6. YO DUDE!
    You're looking for bubbling sauce around the edges and browned spots on the cheese. That's your visual cue. Don't keep baking it because you're waiting for a timer to give you permission.
    S&S SAVE
    Top getting too brown before the center is hot? Lay the foil loosely back over the dish and keep baking. Protect the cheese while the middle catches up.
  6. GARLIC BREAD IN
    Slide the prepared garlic bread into the oven toward the end of the shell bake. Bake until the butter has melted into the bread and the edges are golden. Keep an eye on it—bread can go from perfect to charcoal while you're pouring wine.
  7. TOSS THE SALAD
    Right before serving, pour the dressing over the chopped salad and toss. Taste it once. If it needs another tiny pinch of salt, give it one. Then leave it alone.
  8. PLATE IT
    Let the shells sit for a few minutes after they come out of the oven. Finish with fresh parsley. Spoon the stuffed shells onto warm plates with enough marinara to make the plate look intentional. Garlic bread alongside. Salad on the side. Pour the Chianti and get dinner to the table.

THE TIMELINE

5:45
Shells + marinara. Boil the pasta 2 minutes shy of done. While it cooks, make the marinara.
6:05
Mix the filling. Ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, Parmesan, egg, parsley and seasoning.
6:15
Build the dish. Sauce down. Stuff the shells. More sauce. Mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Cover and refrigerate.
6:25
Prep the sides. Make the garlic bread. Chop the salad and mix the dressing separately.
6:35
Clean the evidence. Pot washed. Counters wiped. Sink empty. Now go make yourself presentable.
6:50
Final reset. Table ready. Music on. Lights down. Cocktail setup ready. Chianti waiting.
7:00
She's here. Door. Smile. Date. Dinner is already under control.
7:05
Make the Bourbon Amaretto Sours. Make hers first. Hand it to her. Then make yours.
7:10
Shells into the oven. 375°F. Covered. Now get away from the oven and have your drink.
7:30
Foil off. Let the cheese brown and the sauce bubble.
7:32
Garlic bread in. Watch the edges. Golden is good. Black is not.
7:40
Shells out. Let them sit a few minutes. Pour the Chianti.
7:42
Toss the salad. Dressing goes on now—not 30 minutes ago.
7:45
Dinner. Shells hot. Garlic bread golden. Wine poured. Phone away.

★ BONUS POINTS

  • WARM THE DINNER PLATES.
    Put them in a low oven for a few minutes before serving. Warm plates keep baked pasta hot longer. Tiny move. Big difference.
  • PUT THE CHIANTI ON THE TABLE.
    Open it before you sit down and have two wine glasses ready. Nothing kills momentum like digging through a drawer for the corkscrew.
  • KILL THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS.
    Lamp. Candles. Pool lights. Music. You made stuffed shells, not a dental appointment. Act accordingly.
  • HAVE THE FIRST DRINK WITH HER.
    The shells are covered and baking. They don't need supervision. She came over to spend time with you. The casserole dish does not need emotional support.

★ THE FINISH

Stop cooking. Start the date.
  1. Clear the dinner plates. Get the food out of the way. The baking dish can wait.
  2. Refresh the drinks. Another glass of Chianti, another cocktail, or whatever you two are feeling.
  3. Change the scenery. Patio. Pool. Couch. Fireplace. Somewhere that doesn't feel like you're still sitting at dinner.
  4. Put the phone away. You already got the food picture. The rest of the night doesn't need an audience.
  5. YOU'RE DONE PERFORMING. The food got you here. What happens next is the whole damn point.

    Good food leads to amazing nights.
THE S&S PHOTO RULE Looks like the picture?
No? Perfect…
Perfect plating is overrated. Good food, cold drinks, great company. Famous words from Anthony Bourdain. Our pictures are for inspiration—not intimidation. Honest effort, amazing food and the night is young.
Baked Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells date-night dinner