Artichoke Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Cheese Sauce

24
Ingredients

10m
Prep Time

60m
Cook Time

1h 10m
Ready In

Recipe: #6620

September 27, 2012

Categories: Casseroles, Italian, Potluck, Sunday Dinner, Oven Bake, Wine, Frozen Vegetables, Italian Dinner, more

recipe by:
Kchurchill5

"These are a nice change from the traditional stuffed shells. Perfect for company/entertaining, or a Sunday dinner. Since these are quite rich; so, I like to serve a tomato salad and something simple ... like sauteed spinach as a side dish. They do take a bit of work, so as I said; they aren't the best for a quick week night dinner, but perfect for Sunday dinner with the family."

Original is 8 servings

Metric US

I've Tried It

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (225.5 g)
Calories 583.3
Total Fat - 40.8 g
Saturated Fat - 13.6 g
Cholesterol - 161.2 mg
Sodium - 761.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 35.3 g
Dietary Fiber - 3.8 g
Sugars - 4.3 g
Protein - 19.6 g
Calcium - 320.4 mg
Iron - 1.3 mg
Vitamin C - 6.8 mg
Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step 1

Shells ... Cook the shells according to package directions in plenty of salted water. Drain and transfer to a baking sheet to cool.

Step 2

Filling ... As the pasta cooks, make the filling. Add the butter to a small non-stick pan and bring to medium heat. Cook until the butter gets a nutty brown color, 3-4 minutes stirring often. Then, add the olive oil and onions; and cook until they are lightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes, you might want to reduce the heat to medium low; and don't forget to stir often. Then, add the artichokes and cook another 3 minutes. Finally, add in the wine, and cook until it is all gone (2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat to cool.

Step 3

Once the filling has cooled slightly, add to a food processor, along with the egg yolks, romano and parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and pepper; pulse a few times to combine all the ingredients and it is rough chopped. You don't want to turn it into a puree - you want to retain a little texture.

Step 4

Sauce ... In a small pot, add the butter and melt on medium heat. Then, add the flour whisking to combine, and cook a minute or two to get rid of the 'raw' flour taste. Next, add in the milk (make sure it is room temp, NOT cold) a little at a time whisking often until smooth and creamy. Add the garlic and bring to light boil, just enough until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the ricotta, lemon juice, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 5

Casserole ... Add 1 1/2 cups of the sauce to the bottom of the dish, which is sprayed with a non-stick pan (on the bottom and sides). Then, stuff the shells with a spoon of the filling and place seam side up in the casserole dish and spoon the remaining sauce over each shell. Mix the bread crumbs with the mozzarella and sprinkle over the shells and cover with foil.

Step 6

Bake ... Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake the casserole on the middle shelf for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake an additional 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.