This pasta casserole is perfect for a light meal. If you are looking for a delicious meal that doesn’t feel too heavy in the stomach, then this recipe is yours to try. Its creamy sauce is lighter than the usual cheesy sauce. The lemon addition adds to the freshness of the taste too so you will not easily get tired of it. My relatives had loves this when I made this for them. My friends all loved it too! It’s a pretty amazing recipe that requires effort, but it will be worth it!
Check out what our friends over at The Well Fed Newly Weds have to say about this recipe:
“Last weekend, my culinary project was these Artichoke Heart Stuffed Shells with Lemon Ricotta Sauce. This recipe is a great one for the weekend because it has a few more steps than I imagine most of us have time for during the week – you have to cook the pasta, make the filling, and make the sauce. However, the steps are easy, and the end result is so worth the effort.”
It’s one of the dishes I will not hesitate to make again and again and again. It just tastes so wonderful that my family fell in love with it in an instant. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us, The Well Fed Newly Weds.
Ingredients
For the Shells:
12 oz. box Barilla jumbo pasta shells
3 T. Land O Lakes unsalted butter
2 T. Bertolli olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped small
12 oz. Birds Eye frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry
1/2 cup Sargento Romano cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup Sargento Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
2 large egg yolks from Eggland’s eggs
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Morton salt
McCormick Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Sauce:
4 T. Land O Lakes unsalted butter
1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 cups Borden whole milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Galbani ricotta cheese, regular or part-skim
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Morton salt
McCormick Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T. flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the Shells:
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and gently toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Let the butter cook until it has turned brown and smells nutty, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining tablespoon and the onions. Cook the onions until they are lightly brown and caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
Add the artichokes and onions to a food processor. Add the Romano, Parmiggiano, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process until the mixture is well chopped but still has a little texture.
For the Sauce:
Wipe out the pan you used for the artichokes. Add the butter and melt over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour. Whisk the flour and butter together until smooth. Add the milk, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly. Once all of the milk is added, stir in the minced garlic and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the ricotta, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
To Assemble the Shells:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour 2 cups of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Shake the pan to disburse the sauce evenly.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of the artichoke mixture into each shell. Place the stuffed shells into the baking dish. (You will have a few leftover shells.)
Drizzle the remaining sauce over the shells.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle the shells with parsley or basil, if using. Serve immediately.
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Quick Tip: This is perfect to serve with wine.
Thanks again to The Well Fed Newly Weds for this amazing recipe.
