Here's an old fashioned, cold weather comfort food dish: stuffed pasta shells with kale and ricotta. It's a bit of work but well worth the effort and it freezes well. If you can't find shells, use lasagna noodles or manicotti shells and see tips at the end of the post.
Kale is a power-packed member of the cabbage family. Although I love vegetables, I did not grow up eating dark leafy greens beyond spinach and I didn’t cook with them much; now I do. If you didn't, try this recipe.
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Buying Kale
Buy Lacinato or Tuscan kale (also known as Dinosaur kale), which is a little milder than curly kale. This variety of kale has dark evergreen colored leaves that look embossed or heavily textured.
Look for bunches with smaller leaves as they will be more more tender than larger leaves. And be sure to buy organic if possible. Kale is on the EWG’s “dirty dozen” list of worst produce for pesticides.
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water to boil for the shells.
- Next, get the kale leaves ready by following the detailed directions below. Once the kale is ready, proceed with the recipe.
- Make the filling: cook the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the chopped kale. Mix in a medium bowl with the cheeses, eggs and herbs until smooth.
- Stuff the shells by hand with a large spoon, like a soup spoon or table spoon, then arrange the shells into a baking casserole dish. Cover with your favorite tomato sauce and bake.
See notes below for ideas on tomato sauce.
How to Prep and Cook Kale
To prepare kale, cut out the center tough ribs, then cook the leaves briefly in boiling salted water (called blanching), about three minutes. Dunk the leaves into a bowl of ice water to set the color and stop the cooking process.
Another option is steaming the kale ribbons until soft, preserving more of the vitamins in kale.
Drain the kale leaves and dry well. If you have one, a salad spinner will get most of the water out, then squeeze dry in paper towels, removing excess moisture.
Next, chop the kale and mix into a bowl with sauteed onions, garlic, cheeses and herbs. Fill cooked jumbo pasta shells with the filling. Place in a casserole dish, top with sauce, then bake.
Pasta Sauce Options
For sauce use:
- Your favorite jarred sauce to save time
- Homemade oven roasted tomato marinara. Roast it while you are working on the other steps or make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze.
- Mushroom marinara
- 30-minute pasta sauce
Serving
Once the shells are baked and piping hot, serve family style in the casserole dish or spoon portions into wide shallow bowls. Serve with extra sauce on the side if desired, and of course extra grated Parmesan cheese.
Leftovers
Stuffed shells freeze well. Place potions in small airtight containers and cover with extra sauce to keep them moist. Label and date the containers before freezing.
Thaw
The safest way to thaw is over night in the refrigerator. Don't thaw on the counter as that is not food safe. If the container is air tight and water tight, submerge the container in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed.
Reheat
To re-heat, pre-heat the oven to 350F. Place the oven safe containers on a rimmed baking sheet for easier handling, cover with foil, and heat until the shells reached 165°F measured internally with a digital thermometer. Add fresh Parmesan at serving.
Gluten-Free Notes
If you are not GF, use wheat pasta shells. If you are gluten-free, use brown rice lasagna (this brand is my favorite) and make lasagna rolls instead of jumbo shells (or use GF manicotti).
Cook the noodles cooked and trimmed to 6″- 6 ½″. Place ¼ cup of the filling on one end and roll. Place in the casserole laying flat, top with sauce and bake. I call these lasagna ruffles.
Kale Dietary Notes
If you have a thyroid condition, raw kale can be problematic but as the kale in this filling is cooked, it's less of a concern.
More Pasta Recipes
Another classic pasta recipe to make is homemade whole wheat lasagna, or zucchini noodles mixed with pasta and roasted tomatoes. If you like seafood and pasta, try this classic linguine with clams.
For a filling recipe with spinach, try this one.
📖 Recipe
Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale center ribs trimmed out
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese divided use
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian blend herbs or dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg optional
- 4 cups homemade tomato sauce or your favorite jarred brand
Instructions
Cook the Shells and Kale
- Cook the pasta shells and the kale: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook the pasta shells according to package directions. Remove the cooked shells to a clean kitchen towel. Bring water back to a boil and add the kale leaves. Cook (blanch) for three minutes. Remove the leaves to a bowl of ice water. When the kale is cold, drain, squeeze dry in paper towels. A salad spinner can help get rid of excess moisture to start, then squeeze dry in paper towels. Chop the kale into small pieces and set aside.
Make the Filling
- In a medium skillet or saute pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook (saute) until its soft and transparent. Add the garlic and cook another 60 seconds. Add the chopped kale. Place in a medium bowl and mix in ricotta and ½ cup of the Parmesan, egg and herbs and seasonings until smooth.
Fill Shells and Bake
- Place about a 1 cup of the tomato sauce in a 9×13 casserole dish. Place about two tablespoons of filling in each shell. For reference, see the photo in the post. You want the shells to be full but not bursting. Place filled shells on top of the sauce. Top the shells with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with the last quarter cup of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
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