Easy Stuffed Shells

4-0. This team is something. The defense is playing at a level I'd put against any team in the state, spring season or otherwise. DeShawn Willis — the freshman linebacker I noticed last year — has become the player I believed he would be: violent in pursuit, smart in coverage, an anchor for the whole unit. Williams coaches him with exactly the right combination of demand and patience. These are the specific pleasures of a well-staffed program.

Sofia ran her first official road race since the pandemic: a ten-mile run in Denver. She came in at one hour forty-two minutes, which for a twelve-year-old is extraordinary. She crossed the finish line and found me immediately and I handed her a bottle of water and said nothing for a while. She was glowing in the way runners glow after they've done something real. I told her she was the toughest person in our house, which she already knew, but sometimes you say the things that are already known because saying them out loud changes something.

Elena won a school poetry contest this week. Her poem was about the color of flour and what it smells like before it becomes bread. She read it to us at dinner. The twins were seven years old and one of them wrote a poem about bread that made Lisa cry. I don't know what to do with this family sometimes except be grateful for it.

Made a new version of green chile mac and cheese — not the box, not even close. Roux, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, roasted Hatch green chile folded in at the end. Baked until the top blisters. The twins ate it in silence, which remains the highest rating available.

A week like this one — Sofia’s race, Elena’s poem, the team at 4-0 — deserves a dinner that matches the weight of it, something baked and bubbling and unapologetically cheesy. I’ve been riffing on baked pasta lately, and these stuffed shells came together the same way the best dinners do: with care and no shortcuts. The twins went quiet the moment the pan hit the table, and that silence, as always, is the only review that counts.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

20–24 jumbo pasta shells
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo shells 1–2 minutes less than the package directions (they’ll finish in the oven). Drain, rinse with cool water, and lay them out on a sheet of parchment so they don’t stick.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
Prep the baking dish. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Fill the shells. Spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons of filling into each shell. Nestle the filled shells snugly into the baking dish in a single layer.
Top and cover. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups of marinara over the shells. Scatter the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
Bake covered. Bake for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the shells are heated through.
Bake uncovered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 12–15 minutes, until the cheese on top is golden and blistered in spots.
Rest and serve. Let the pan sit for 5 minutes before serving. Scatter fresh basil or parsley over the top and bring the whole dish to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Easy Stuffed Shells — When the Silence at the Table Says Everything