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stuffed shells

Stuffed Shells with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

The winner of the #ILoveSanMarzanoDOP recipe contest by Julie S. of Seattle, Wash.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword eggplant, pasta, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, stuffed shells
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • 3 small eggplants, chopped into 1-inch dice (or one large eggplant, equaling about 1 pound)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped and pitted black and green olives
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1 28-ounce can San Marzano DOP tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Shells

  • 3/4 pound large pasta shells
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 1 tsp dried (or fresh) oregano
  • 1 tsp dried (or fresh) basil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Sauce

  1. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt on peeled, cubed eggplant and let sit for 15 min in sieve or on paper towels. Rinse the eggplant and pat dry.

  2. Sauté eggplant in olive oil until soft, 5-10 min. Remove eggplant from pan. Sauté onion and bell pepper in the same pan until soft, in remaining oil, or add more oil as needed.

  3. Add olives, capers, tomatoes (mash them to break up the whole tomatoes), vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add reserved eggplant and stir. Heat and simmer for 20-30 mins. until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the Shells

  1. Fill a large pot with water, bring the water to a boil, and boil the pasta shells for 9 minutes or according to package directions so that they are soft and pliable but not soggy.

  2. Mix remaining ingredients for the filling. Stuff the cooked shells with 1-2 tbsp. filling each.

  3. Pour approximately half of the tomato sauce into an 8" x 11" baking dish. Arranged stuffed shells on top of the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the shells. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min or until bubbling.