A Little Extra Effort Goes a Long Way

 

Cooking is all about sharing food with the ones you love. And the ones you love will adore you in return after you cook this week’s dish.

Instead of the obvious spinach and ricotta, I am using kale and artichoke to stuff the pasta and have used cannellini beans to add hearty creaminess, with a little heat from the chilli and earthy sweetness from the fennel.

Full disclosure, stuffing hot cooked pasta shells is hard work, they can be slippery suckers and break easily – cook a few extra and let them cool before you start filling.

Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells

Serves 4

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

 
 

INGREDIENTS

16 jumbo pasta shells – I like conchiglie pasta

1 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce (unless you want to make your own!)

2 teaspoons finely chopped chiles (about 3 chiles)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 medium bunches kale, stemmed and chopped (about 6 cups)

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

150 grams cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheese – I used provolone

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 180°

  2. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add pasta shells; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; set shells aside.

  3. Stir together pasta sauce, chiles, and fennel seeds in a medium bowl. Season with salt to taste. Spray ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; spread sauce in an even layer in dish, and set aside.

  4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale, and toss to coat. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over kale. Cover and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through cook time. Add artichoke hearts; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until warmed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

  5. Combine beans, cream cheese, and 2 tablespoons oil in a food processor; process until smooth and creamy, about 45 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add bean mixture to kale mixture, and stir until well combined. Season with salt to taste.

  6. Spoon bean mixture evenly into cooked pasta shells (about 3 tablespoons per shell). Arrange shells on pasta sauce mixture, and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.

  7. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to high grill until cheese begins to brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

 
THOMAS NEWFIELD