This is a sponsored post for HemisFares™ brand that is available exclusively at Kroger family of stores. All opinions are honest and 100% my own.
The whole idea of stuffed shells is a winner at our house. Anything with pasta and cheese gets a big thumbs up from both the adults and the kids.. But these Ricotta filled Lumaconi are delicious and elegant enough to serve to any dinner guest, while still making the kids sing.
Ricotta Filled Lumaconi
We recently stumbled on the HemisFares’ brand at Kroger and fell in love. These are not ordinary ingredients. These are products sourced, crafted, and imported from their country or origin and then sealed with a unique “find number.” (The Find Number for the Lumaconi in this recipe is No. 22!)
The pastas from Italy are crafted authentically and pressed through a bronze mold to give the pasta the rough edges that help the sauce cling to each bite!
As elegant as these creamy ricotta-filled shells are, they are a snap to make. Boil the pasta slightly less time than found on the package to keep them firm in the finished dish. (You’ll be baking them in the oven too.) Also make sure you salt the water well since there is not a lot of additional salt in the recipe.
While the pasta is cooking, you can whip all the cheeses together with the spices and an egg in just a few minutes and fill a sandwich bag with the cheese mixture. You can mix the cheeses with a fork but I love how creamy and smooth the cheese is when you whisk it with a hand mixer.
Lumaconi with Tomato and Leek Sauce
You can top the pasta with your favorite red sauce but in the spirit of exploration, we tried HemisFares’ Sugo delle Langhe con Porri – otherwise known as Tomato and Leek Pasta Sauce. (Find Number 18 – See how handy that is!) This is hands down the richest vegetable based sauce I have ever put in my mouth. Often red sauce depends on meat for its deep flavor (we love those too) but this one is all veggie and so delicious you will never want to eat another.
When you spoon out these hot stuffed shells, the sauce clings to each bite of firm pasta and melty cheese. My kids thought it was the best pasta dish they ever had… and no, I did not tell them there were leeks in there. I just smiled and watched them eat.
Intrigued by HemisFares? Want a little tour of Italy (or any of the other amazing flavors of countries around the world?) For more information on HemisFares you can check out the website HemisFaresFinds.com or facebook.com/Hemisfares.
- 1 package of HemisFares Lumaconi pasta
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1½ cup mozzarella, divided
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 jar HemisFares Tomato and Leek Pasta Sauce
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Gently add in one package of HemisFares Lumaconi. Stir gently and occasionally until the pasta has cooked for 9-10 minutes. (This is slightly less than the package states)
- Drain pasta and rinse with cool water.
- While pasta is cooking, add ricotta, parmesan, ¾ cup mozzarella, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning and an egg to a bowl and either whisk by hand or with an electric mixer.
- When ricotta mixture is creamy, spoon it into a plastic sandwich bag (or piping bag) and nip the end off the corner with scissors.
- Spray the bottom of a 8x8 or 9x9 casserole dish to prevent sticking. Spoon a small amount of pasta sauce into the bottom of the pan and spread it evenly.
- Pipe cheese mixture into each cooked shell. And set each shell into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella.
- When the dish is full, cover it loosely with foil and cook for 16 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for an additional 8 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Serve pasta immediately and enjoy!
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