Pasta Shells Florentine

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a creamy spinach and three-cheese filling, lined up in a baking dish, and smothered in spaghetti sauce. This is a Florentine-style take on stuffed shells that swaps ricotta for cottage cheese and uses egg white to bind everything together for a lighter filling.

Nutmeg is the spice that makes spinach and cheese sing. Just a quarter teaspoon adds a warm, slightly sweet depth that connects the earthy spinach to the mild, melty mozzarella and salty Parmesan.

The foil cover during baking traps steam and keeps the shells from drying out while the filling heats through and the cheese melts into a gooey, stretchy center.

Kitchen Tips

• Squeeze the thawed spinach bone-dry. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and wring out every last drop. Wet spinach makes the filling watery and the shells soggy.
• Don’t overfill the shells. A heaping tablespoon is enough. Overstuffed shells crack open and spill their filling into the sauce.
• Cook the shells just until pliable, slightly underdone. They finish cooking in the oven and overcooked shells tear when you try to fill them.

Variations

• Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese for a smoother, more traditional Italian filling.
• Add sauteed garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the spinach mixture for more depth.
• Top with extra mozzarella during the last 10 minutes uncovered for a bubbly, browned cheese crust.