Happy Hump Day friends!
I’m excited because tomorrow I head up to Manhattan Beach for ShiftCon – a social media conference focusing on wellness, health, and the environment. There are so many sessions that seem so interesting and fun that I’m looking forward to, and it’s always great to connect with other bloggers and people in the healthy food industry! I’m sure I’ll be recapping all of the fun for you next week, but today, let’s talk about this deliciousness:
The idea for roasted tomato & ricotta pesto stuffed shells first came to mind when I bought a bag of locally grown beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes. There’s just something about those vibrant colors that makes me want to get all creative with the meal I use the tomatoes for.
I roasted them with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and stuffed the shells with spoonfuls of glorious soft mini tomatoes. Now for the other part of the shell filling…
I’ve been wanting to do a fun take on pesto for awhile now. The idea was born out of the fact that many times when I order a dish with pesto at a restaurant, it’s too much. Too garlicky, too oily, too thick…. and not easy on my belly! This pesto, on the other hand, is more mild – not as pungent as typical pesto.
I made it with spinach to sneak some veggies in there, not a ton of oil, basil, or garlic, and blended it with creamy goat cheese and ricotta for a bit of a different take on pesto.
Once I had the shells stuffed with the pesto and roasted tomatoes, I sprinkled some mozzarella on top and popped them in the oven until the cheese was bubbly and lightly browned.
These roasted tomato & ricotta spinach pesto stuffed shells take a bit of a unique spin on the popular Italian dish. I hope that you try the recipe out!
Roasted Tomato & Ricotta Spinach Pesto Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 21 large pasta shells
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes I used heirloom
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 cup ricotta I used part skim
- 2 oz herbed goat cheese broken into chunks
- 2 oz mozzarella shredded
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pignolia nuts
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic quartered
- 1/2 TSP salt
- 1/4 TSP pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes. Toss in a bowl with 1 TBSP of the olive oil, 1/4 TSP salt and 1/8 TSP pepper. Place in a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes, or until softened and juicy.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the pasta shells al dente according to package directions. Once they're finished cooking, drain the shells and allow them to cool down.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pesto by combining the spinach, goat cheese, garlic, pignolia nuts, basil, and remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Process together until smooth. Add in the ricotta, and pulse a couple of times until mixed together.
- Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Once the tomatoes are roasted and the pasta is cooked and cooled, begin assembling the shells by spooning a large spoonful of prepared pesto + a spoonful of roasted tomatoes into each shell. Arrange the stuffed shells in the baking dish.
- Spread the remaining roasted tomatoes evenly around the baking dish and over the shells.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over top of the stuffed shells.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
Nutrition
Tell me… Are you a big fan of pesto? What’s your favorite type of pasta?
I love ALL pasta, and yessss to pesto! This looks so hearty and warm. HAVE FUN at that conference!!
I hear ya, I love all the pasta too!! Thanks girl.
I haven’t heard of Shiftcon, but it sounds like something I would definitely enjoy.
This is such a beautiful looking dish too – really fresh.
It was definitely an interesting event!
I like my pesto a little more on the mild side too! These stuffed shells sound fantastic! What an awesome way to use up the last of summer produce!
Thanks, Ashley! Yea, our summer produce is still growing strong out here in SoCal 🙂
These shells sound so good!!
This looks delicious!! And seems really easy to keep around for leftovers too.
Stuffed Shells = TOTALLY my favorites back in the day! Lots of cheese for me please!
I LOVE Ricotta! I’ve got some in my fridge right now 🙂 This looks delicious, and I love all the veggies in there!
Thank you, Liz! Me too, I haven’t had ricotta in awhile and need to buy some soon. Ever use it in smoothies? It makes them so nice and creamy!
Oh my gosh! Totally LOVE pasta and this looks great. I’ll have to search and see if I can find shells in my local supermarket! Have fun at the conference. Can’t wait to hear more.
I haven’t had stuffed shells in soooo long! This was one of my favorite childhood meals. Perfect for the fall!
These shells are absolutely bootiful! I love how colorful they are and I bet they taste amazing!
And I hope you have fun at ShiftCon! I wish I could go with you! It seems like all of the fun stuff happens in SoCal. They need to have more events up here!