Ricotta Stuffed Shells: a recipe

Stuffed shells are one of those dishes where there are endless variations and directions you can take things, but this combination just felt right: jumbo pasta shells filled with creamy ricotta, lemon and spinach, baked in a rich, spicy n’duja vodka sauce and finished under the grill until bubbling and golden.

Despite what you might think, the star of this dish, for me anyway, is that incredible n’duja vodka sauce. It’s loaded with tomato, cream and spicy Calabrian pork, and the flavour just ticks every box. The filling, on the other hand, is creamy and fresh, made with whipped ricotta, spinach and lemon to help balance out the richness of the sauce. Everything gets layered up with more sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and a little extra n’duja before going under the grill until melted, bubbling and properly caramelised.

It is rich, spicy, creamy and comforting, but the spinach and lemon stop the whole thing from becoming too heavy. This is a pasta bake levelled up.

Now then, let’s get into it.

A few things to know before you start

• N’duja: This cured pork has the most incredibly distinct flavour. If you can find it, use it. If not, I have a few work arounds that’ll do the trick too.

• Drain: N’duja contains a lot of fat and it’s important to drain out some of the excess to prevent your sauce becoming greasy.

• Shells: Large, rough textured shells work best for this recipe. Cook them very al dente as we will finish in the oven.

• Spinach: Blanch the spinach and squeeze out all the excess water to prevent water seeping out onto your baking tray.

• Filling: Don’t overfill your shells, a little goes a long way.

• Cheese: Low-moisture mozzarella for the topping is best so it melts and browns without releasing too much water.