Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

I’ve been mulling this recipe idea around for years. Actually, I only just realized that a time span of actual years was involved when I found some long-lost recipe notes, and I had written down this idea there. And, you know, I can’t remember what made me actually get around to trying it last month. That’s been happening a lot around there.

Anyway, the filling for these pasta shells is based on one of my favorite party dips, this savory and flavorful Spinach and Artichoke Dip. The dip on its own is a bit too rich to be eaten as a meal in itself (not that I haven’t done something similar), so I took the basic flavors and sort of diluted them a bit with a classic pasta filling, ricotta cheese.

The result was pleasantly garlicky and cheesy, but not as intense as the dip, which is appropriate for a baked pasta main dish, I think. I was pleasantly surprised, not because I didn’t know that the spinach and artichokes and Parmesan and mozzarella and ricotta would be great together, or that they would make a good pasta filling, but because it came out so well the first time I threw it together.

Okay, so that’s sort of the disclaimer. This recipe isn’t exactly well-tested. While I thought it was tasty and balanced, it probably needed a pinch of salt here and there (I included that in the recipe below.) If I have a chance to give it another fling, I might try adding more artichoke hearts. I can also think of a few variations that drift away from the original recipe inspiration. As it is now, however, this is a solid dish. It could probably be doubled to feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great if you’re feeding just a few, as I usually do.

And an added bonus for this writer: I’ve overcome my fear of stuffing noodle shells. It’s not so bad. I hardly even made a mess!

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

You could chop and cook fresh spinach or mess with fresh artichokes, but frozen spinach and canned or frozen artichokes are just fine.

12-14 large pasta shells

for the filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon pepper

pinch salt, if desired

5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ of a 14-16 ounce can artichoke hearts (about 4 hearts), drained and chopped

for the sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

pinch salt, if desired

½ cup mozzarella cheese

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water in batches until cooked but still firm. Carefully remove from the water to a plate and set aside while preparing the filling.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta, egg, cream cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan, 2 cloves garlic, pepper and a pinch of salt, if desired. Process until smooth. Add the spinach and pulse until well-combined. Add the chopped artichokes and pulse just until distributed. Set aside.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-size saucepan. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is very smooth. Cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil (this could take 15 minutes or so, but watch carefully). Cook about 1 minute more or until the mixture has thickened.

3. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray or grease it as desired. Spread about 1/3 of the cooked sauce over the bottom of the dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture evenly into the cooked shells. Arrange them on the sauce in the casserole dish.

4. Pour or spoon the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells. Cover with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella. Cover the dish and bake 30 minutes at 350 F. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until bubbly and lightly browned in a few places.

Makes about 4 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Quinoa and Spinach Casserole, Spinach Custard Pie, Spinach and Feta Souffle

Party Dip

At this point, you may be in holiday overdrive. Perhaps you’re so overwhelmed with treats and sweets that even the thought of another piece of candy, cookie, cake, or even sweet piece of fruit is making you sick. If so, I just have one thing to say to you: I don’t understand you at all.

Nonetheless, there’s more to holiday party food than the sugary stuff. I’m partial to savory cheesy things with some green vegetables applied for a little WFQ*, like hot and melty spinach and artichoke dip.

The dip I’ve been making for years is made simple with canned artichoke hearts (you could use frozen) and frozen spinach. It gets flavor and gooiness from mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, then some tangy creaminess from both cream cheese and sour cream. Plenty of garlic adds even more great flavor.

About half an hour in the oven turns a dish of this mixture into a bubbly, hearty dip that’s best served with sturdy chips, like pita chips, or with crackers (although tortilla chips are good, too). It serves a bunch as an appetizer or part of a party buffet, but you can also make half the recipe for a smaller group. It can also be mixed up at least two days ahead, covered and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake and serve. The leftovers are also fine re-heated in the microwave.

This dip should satisfy vegetable lovers and cheese lovers alike. And, if you’re only a cheese lover, I suggest trying this dip anyway, since the flavors and textures of the artichokes hearts and spinach are relatively mild and subtle. Besides, with all the cookies and candies and cakes and so on that you’ve already eaten, perhaps those vegetables will help the New Year’s resolutions go a little more smoothly. Hope you’re having a healthy and happy holiday season!

*WFQ: Whole Food Quotient

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine

I use reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream in this recipe. You can make a richer dip with full-fat products, but I do not recommend fat-free.

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, plus a little more for the top
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (13-14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (or about 8 ounces frozen, thawed), drained and chopped
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
½ (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients (except the extra cheese for the top of the dip) in a large bowl. Stir to combine well. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (1 ½ quart is a good size.)

2. Sprinkle the top of the dip with a little more mozzarella. Resist the urge to really load up the top with cheese, since once it melts, it will form a formidable chip barrier. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Makes about 5 ½ cups, probably serving 10 or more as an appetizer.

Other recipes like this one: Bean Dip with Sour Cream, Salsa and Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Onion Dip

One year ago: Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

Three Grains are Better

I unearthed a recipe from a magazine for a salad with white beans, artichoke hearts and spelt, an Old World grain. The recipe looked great, but I was fresh out of spelt. Okay, so I’ve never owned a single kernel of it in my life. What I did have was a bag of cooked wheat berries in the freezer (leftover from when I made this salad.) But as long as I was putting a dent in what was in the freezer, I figured two grains might be better. I’d see what was in the cupboard as well. It turns out that the cupboard needs more attention than I thought, so if two grains were better, a three-grain salad must be on its way to greatness. I went with slightly exotic, but not unattainable: wheat berries, wild rice, and quinoa.

I’m probably not as scientific as I should be about cooking grains. I’ve got rice down pretty well, but, so I don’t have to memorize or look up ratios and recipes, I tend to just throw most other grains in a pot of water and boil them until they are tender. That’s how I cooked the wild rice and quinoa for this salad. It took about 20 minutes to cook the quinoa and about 40 minutes to cook the wild rice. The wheat berries, which I had cooked a while back, I first soaked for several hours (much like I would dried beans). This cuts the cooking time down from a couple hours to about 45 minutes. Cooking times of grains may vary depending on your source of raw materials. I usually cook much more than I need for a recipe and freeze the rest for quicker meals when things get busy.

I brought this salad to a potluck lunch at Harry’s workplace, and it received good reviews. I really like it too, and I think this might now be a regular resident in our refrigerator. The coats of the wheat berries pop as you chew them to reveal their starchy interiors, while the wild rice (which isn’t even a rice but a grass native to this part of the world) is chewy and earthy. The tiny quinoa grains fill in the gaps between the other grains, creamy beans and sort of leafy artichokes. The lemon vinaigrette is super-simple (just lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper) but cuts through the stodgy beans and grains to liven and brighten them up.

While these three grains seem to compliment each other well, you could probably use other grains such as brown rice, barley, or even corn. You could change up the type of beans, add different vegetables or tinker with the dressing. Before long, you’d have a completely different recipe. I better stop now before I give away all my secrets to recipe development and you won’t have a reason to read The Messy Apron any more!

Three Grain Salad with White Beans and Artichokes
Modified from Cooking Light Magazine

I used canned artichoke hearts. The brand I used listed only artichoke hearts, water, salt and citric acid (to prevent browning) in the ingredient list. You could use frozen artichokes, and I have included the approximate equivalent to the weight of the drained canned variety.

1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked wild rice
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 ½ cups (about 1 15-ounce can) white beans, such as navy, Great Northern or cannellini, drained and rinsed (I used some I had cooked myself and froze)
1 14-ounce can (or about 8 ounces frozen) artichoke hearts, drained (or thawed) and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl combine the wheat berries, quinoa, wild rice, parsley, onion, beans and artichoke hearts.

2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Whisk until well-combined. Pour over the wheat berry mixture and stir to mix the ingredients together and coat them well with the dressing. Taste the salad for salt and add more if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 6-8 servings.