Crab stuffed shells
Jumbo pasta shells filled with creamy ricotta and crab, baked under marinara and bubbling mozzarella, and they freeze beautifully.
- 65 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 6
- About $2.15 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz imitation crab, finely chopped
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ lemon, zested
- 1 jar marinara sauce, 24 oz, divided
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 460 calories, 26 g protein, 45 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $2.15 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of water with the salt.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package says, then and spread them on a so they don’t stick together.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
High heatTimer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: A couple always tear, so the extra shells are your spares.the ricotta, crab, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the parmesan, egg, garlic powder, parsley, lemon and pepper together.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Spread 1 cup of the marinara over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Fill each shell with a spoonful of the crab mixture and set them in the dish, filling side up.
Heaping. Heaping means a rounded mound piled above the rim of the spoon or cup, not leveled off. It’s a little more than the measure, on purpose.
How you’ll know: The pile sits above the edge of the spoon, and you leave it there instead of scraping it flat.
Dolly’s tip: Hold each shell open with one hand and push the filling in with a small spoon.Spoon the rest of the marinara over and around the shells and scatter the rest of the mozzarella on top.
Cover with foil and 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until bubbling and in spots.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 32 min 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: To freeze, assemble in a foil pan, cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, for about an hour.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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