Description

In just 20 minutes, you can have these creamy stuffed shells ready to bake, and trust me, you'll be wondering why you didn’t make them sooner. If, like me, you’re someone who adores cheesy lasagna but craves extra ricotta goodness in every mouthful, then this dish is an absolute dream come true. It's incredibly comforting and lip smackingly good—my family always goes back for seconds!

Directions

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F with a rack about 10 inches from the heat source.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high. Add 26 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (8 ounces) and cook according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking.
3. Arrange the cooked and drained pasta shells in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. While the pasta cooks, stir together 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon), 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup (2 ounces) of the parmesan in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
5. Spread 2 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
6. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into each pasta shell, then nestle them, filled side up, in the sauce in the baking dish.
7. Spoon the remaining 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup (1 ounce) mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup (1 ounce) parmesan cheese.
8. Cover the stuffed shells with a large sheet of aluminum foil and bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 40 minutes.
9. Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil. Increase the oven temperature to broil and allow it to preheat 5 for minutes. Return the stuffed shells to the oven rack and broil until the cheese is lightly browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.