Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells {Pam Cooking Spray Review}

After PAM Cooking Spray to the test on muffin tins it was time to up the ante and try it on a glass baking dish. I don’t know about you but I have many a ruined glass baking dish with a sticky film of baked on cooking spray residue. Sure, the food didn’t stick but the extra cooking spray sure did. I decided that this test needed some cheese and tomato sauce to make it a real challenge. And seeing as I have been in the mood for stuffed shells lately, I put them to the test with the New Improved Formula PAM Cooking Spray. Take a look:

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Really, I couldn’t be more impressed with the New PAM Cooking Spray. It went above and beyond my expectations. And the great news of all this is that I will now be able to use my muffin tins WITHOUT paper liners without the fear of the extra clean up. That is exciting, exciting news around these parts.

But I am sure that you are anxious to get on to that recipe, right? It is a good one! I shall delay no longer.

Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I love manicotti but the thought of filling those delicate cylindrical shells makes me nervous. I know I can do it but with two toddlers at my feet taking the time and care to fill them is less than possible. The idea of jumbo shells at this point becomes very appealing.

Last week I found myself with some leftover spinach, a blog post to write that would fit into a glass baking dish and a desire for something Italian. That is when these stuff shells came to be. I loved the ease of filling them with delicious goodness. And believe me they didn’t disappoint. The whole family ate them up in no time, even the toddlers. I was impressed with that.

I think another great thing about these shells is that you can flash freeze them separately and just fix any serving size you might want. Eating alone tonight, just bake 3. Having company, pull out 24. It is so versatile to have items like this in your freezer ready to go.

They are also perfect paired with the garlic butter knots I will be sharing in a few short days (pictured above) so hold on to your hats for that one. This is a combination not to be missed.

Author/Source:

Tricia @ Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients:

• 24 jumbo pasta shells
• 24 ounces marinara sauce
• 30 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 0.5 cups grated Parmesan
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 0.25 teaspoons black pepper
• 0.5 cups mozzarella, shredded
• New Improved PAM Cooking Spray (coupon for $.50 off – download before 11/15/11 and use before 11/30/11)

Directions:

Stuffed Shells in preparation, yum!

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, al dente. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells and place them on top of the sauce. Drizzle some of the sauce over top. Sprinkle the shells with the mozzarella and bake until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Freezing Directions:

Prepare as indicated above but before baking, cover them with foil and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Alternative Method: Prepare stuffed shells only. Flash freeze the shells and after frozen, place in a gallon freezer bag for future use. To serve: Remove the number of shells needed for your dinner. Thaw. Place in a baking dish with marinara and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Servings: 12

Nutrition for 2 each: 290 calories, 9g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 470mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 16g protein, 25% vitamin A, 4% vitamin C, 30% calcium, 15% iron

Disclosure: I received compensation, a toolkit and PAM promotional items from ConAgra Foods to conduct this review. All the opinions in this post are mine, want to know more about how I facilitate reviews, view my full disclosure policy!

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 21st, 2011 at 8:00 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.