Only a few meals are more mouth-watering than a pot of pasta sizzling as it comes out of the oven. The ones that get crispy on the edges from baking, but the inside remains soft and creamy. Today’s stuffed pasta shells with chicken, mushrooms, spinach and anthotyro is such a recipe.
Comforting meal, one of those that warms your inside during the winter. With simple ingredients and a bit of cooking, you ‘ll have a delicious lunch, a little different from the pasta dishes we cook usually.
This recipe for stuffed pasta shells with chicken, mushrooms, & spinach came about because I found myself with leftover roast chicken. I scoured the pantry and fridge for other ingredients that would fit, so I filled the shells with chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and anthotyro. The result was a very tasty dish, super nutritious, that pleased the whole family!
The truth is that if you make this recipe from scratch, it takes a lot of time. However, there is a way to save some of the cooking. One way is ready-made roast chicken, as I said before. The second is ready-made tomato sauce, which I always make sure to have in the freezer. I make a large batch of sauce, divide it into small containers, and have it freezed for pasta, pizza, or whatever comes up. Moreover, I always make sure to have dried mushrooms in my pantry. They have saved me countless times.
Enjoyed this recipe for stuffed pasta shells with chicken, mushrooms, & spinach? Click here for more pasta recipes.
Stuffed Pasta Shells with Chicken, Mushrooms & Spinach
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...Stuffed pasta shells with chicken, mushrooms, & spinach, one of the most comforting meals. Plus some tips on saving cooking time.
Ingredients
- 24-26 lumaconi shells
- 50g grated graviera or other cheese of your choice, like parmesan, plus extra for serving
- toasted pine nuts, for serving
- tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 500g tomato passata
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 pinch sugar
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- salt, pepper
- filling:
- 190g roast chicken, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100g fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 20g dried mushrooms
- 200g baby spinach
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 300g anthotyro, or, ricotta cheese
- the zest of 1 lemon
- the leaves from 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- salt, pepper
Instructions
Prepare the sauce* by heating olive oil in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for a while, then add the passata, sugar, water and oregano, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes. Add parsley and remove from the heat. Set the sauce aside.
Hydrate the dried mushrooms by immersing them in warm water for about 10 minutes. Drain and chop them.
Heat the olive oil in a pan to prepare the filling. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add all the mushrooms and cook until they soften and golden. Finally, add the spinach to the pan and stir a bit to wilt it. Set the filling aside to cool a bit.
Boil the pasta shells in salted water for about 7-8 minutes. Drain well.
Put anthotyro in a large bowl and fluff it well with a fork, add the mixture you have in the pan, and the rest of the ingredients for the filling: zest and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a 20x30cm ovenproof dish and spread it evenly. Generously fill the shells one by one with the filling and place them in the dish.
Pour over the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with grated graviera (I used Cretan).
Cover with non-stick paper and aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes, until slightly golden.
Let the food stand for 10 minutes and serve with extra parsley, toasted pine nuts and grated graviera.
Nutrition
-
587 Calories
-
36.5g Carbohydrates
-
50mg Cholesterol
-
40.2g Fat
-
4g Fiber
-
25.3g Protein
-
8.8g Saturated fat
-
623mg Sodium
-
6g Sugar
-
31.4g Unsaturated fat
Notes
*See in the description how you can save time from the sauce.
No Comments