Petes Total Food

These aren’t your average stuffed shells. Jumbo pasta shells are filled with a creamy ricotta and spinach mixture, then baked in a rich vodka sauce packed with Italian sausage, Fresno peppers, garlic, and plenty of Parmesan and Pecorino. The shells soak up all that sauce as they bake, while the cheese on top gets golden and bubbly. It takes a little time to put everything together, but the result is a hearty, comforting pasta dish that’s absolutely worth the effort.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 90 Minutes | Serves: 4-6 | See Full Video Below

Ingredients:

Creamy Vodka Sauce

• 1 Shallot
• 6 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Fresno Peppers
• 2 Italian Sausage Links (Or Hot Italian Sausage if you want a kick)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2-3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/3 Cup Vodka
• 28 Oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 3/4 – 1 1/4 Cups Heavy Cream
• 10 Basil Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 Cup Mascarpone 
• 3/4 Cup Parmesan 
• 1/2 tsp Rep Pepper Flakes

Ricotta Cheese

• 1 Head of Spinach 
• 1 1/2 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Lemon Zest
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan 
• 1/3 Cup Pecorino 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Pasta

• 1 Package of Jumbo Shell Pasta

Directions:

• To start, finely dice the shallot, garlic cloves and fresno peppers and place in a bowl
• Next, remove the casings from the sausages and finely chop them, then set aside
• Remove all the spinach leaves from the stems and set aside
• For the last step of the prep, grate two cups of parmesan and one cup of pecorino cheese (you will need extra at the end)
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, diced shallot, garlic and peppers and cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally (2-3 minutes)
• Add the chopped sausage and use a meat chopper to continue breaking apart the sausage as it browns
• Once browned, add the tomato paste and stir until combined
• Next add the vodka, and let it reduce until there is almost no vodka left in the pan
• Then add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and red pepper flakes
• Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes
• Meanwhile get a pot of water and bring that to a boil and make sure to salt the water
• When the sauce has slightly thickened, add the heavy cream while constantly stirring
• Add the basil leaves followed by the parmesan and stir until combined
• Finally, add the mascarpone and mix in well, then set the pan aside
• Get the spinach leaves and cook them in the boiling water for about 1-2 minutes, then immediately place them in a bowl with ice water to preserve their color and freshness
• Let the spinach sit for a few minutes, then wring out any water from the spinach, you want it as dry as possible (see video)
• Chop the spinach finely and add to a bowl
• Next add the ricotta cheese to the bowl along with the lemon zest, egg yolks, parmesan, pecorino, salt and pepper
• Mix well and fill into a piping bag
• Be sure to use a large tip for the piping bag because the ricotta cheese will not go through a small tip
• Get a large pot of heavily salted boiling water and cook the jumbo pasta according to the package directions, the pasta should be al dente 
• Drain the pasta and set aside
• Get out a large baking dish and pour about 2/3 of the sauce in the dish 
• Using a spatula or spoon, spread the sauce evenly across the bottom of the dish
• Use the piping bag to fill the pasta shells with ricotta cheese, then arrange them in a grid on top of the sauce until there’s no more room
• Once the dish is full, scoop a spoonful of sauce onto each shell, then sprinkle the remaining parmesan and pecorino over the entire dish
• Finally drizzle a little olive oil over the shells, then cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes covered, and another 15 minutes uncovered
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes
• Serve and enjoy!