Turkey, Artichoke and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I tend to make these stuffed shells when I want to give some one a break and indulge them with hearty italian food. Food concocted by that vixen of pasta and prosciutto herself: Giada De Laurentiis. How that woman’s stays so tiny whilst eating so many carbs I’ll never know. I usually make this dish for others, but these last two weeks, I really wish someone could make these for me.

I moved from one side of Atlanta to the other last week, then immediately hosted three girlfriends for the weekend before I could even finish unpacking. Moving sucks. In the last seven years I’ve moved from Wisconsin to Kansas, Kansas to Indiana and Indiana to Georgia. I thought relocating a mere 40 minutes would be a touch easier. I was wrong; it dragged out the process of finding an apartment, since I would find something new online everyday and decide I needed to drive 40 minutes to go see it, and then I told myself I should stretch the move over three days to be less frantic, which again just meant a lot of driving through Atlanta traffic.

Now here I am, playing catch up on all the work I need to get done before I leave on a week-long business trip to Florida. I have yet to file my tax return (I always have this done before February), I haven’t done any real grocery shopping and I don’t have a new gym to go to yet. And did I mention on Saturday I leave for a week-long trip? I’m hungry. I’m tired. My hands hurt. My back hurts. Will you make me dinner?

If you did, these stuffed shells would be easy, delicious and semi-nutritous. Plus, it makes enough to have leftovers for a week, or share with other people who are tired and want someone else to take care of dinner. It splits nicely into two 8×8 pans if you want to make some for now and freeze some for later.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce
(buy or make Giada’s recipe)
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, about four or five minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure shells aren’t sticking together. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about three minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. I’ve also packed the stuffing into a ziploc freezer bag, cut off a corner and piped the filling into shells like you would if you were decorating a cupcake.

Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells (I usually have leftover shells). Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until shells are warmed through and cheese is beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

You can also freeze this dish and bake later or giveaway. If freezing, immediately cover the dish in plastic wrap (I also follow up with a layer of aluminum foil) and place in the freezer for one day or up to one month. When ready to bake, heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dish from freezer, remove plastic wrap. Bake in oven for 60 minutes.

Tags: artichoke, cheese, dinner, Giada De Laurentiis, Italian, pasta, ricotta, turkey