Jumbo pasta shells packed with ricotta, mozzarella, fontina and Parmesan, baked in marinara until bubbling, cheesy and golden on top.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add 20–24 jumbo pasta shells and cook them about 2 minutes shy of the package directions. Drain and let them cool just enough to handle.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 finely minced shallot and cook about 2 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook another 30 seconds.
Stir in 24 oz marinara, ½ tsp sugar, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a few cracks of black pepper. Let it simmer gently for 5–10 minutes. A good jar gets you most of the way there. This handles the rest.
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 parsley, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
Spread a layer of marinara across the bottom of your baking dish. Fill each cooked shell generously with the four-cheese mixture and nestle the shells into the sauce, open side up. Spoon more marinara around and lightly over the shells.
Scatter 1 cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup grated Parmesan evenly over the shells. At this point you can bake them immediately or cover the dish and refrigerate it until you're ready.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted and beginning to brown.
Pull the shells from the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes. That gives the filling a chance to settle instead of immediately escaping onto the plate.
Spoon a little marinara onto each plate, set the stuffed shells on top and finish with fresh parsley. Get them to the table while the cheese is still hot and bubbling.
Get the garlic bread, chopped tomato & feta salad, Bourbon Amaretto Sour, Chianti, prep, timeline, Bonus Points and the rest of the night mapped out for you.
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