These decadent seafood stuffed shells feature a mixture of shrimp, crab, and scallops with a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, and it's topped off with a rich and creamy bechamel sauce, then baked until golden brown. It's an elegant and delicious dish perfect for a holiday dinner or special occasion meal.
24jumbo pasta shellsplus a few extra in case of breakage
Filling
1-2Tablespoonsolive oil
1mediumshallotminced
3clovesgarlicminced
½poundshrimppeeled and deveined, then chopped
16 oz canlump crab meat
½poundscallopsrinsed and dried, then chopped
1teaspoonOld Bay seafood seasoning
4-5cupsfresh spinachchopped
15ouncesricotta cheese
1largeegg
1½cupsshredded mozzarella cheesedivided
½cupfinely grated parmesan cheese
2teaspoonsItalian seasoning
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonfresh ground black pepper
White Sauce
3Tablespoonsbutter
2Tablespoonsflour
1½cupsmilk
½cupheavy cream
¼cupdry white wineor chicken stock
1cupfinely grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cook your pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water for around 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Then drain and set aside. They should be slightly undercooked and will finish while baking.
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season the shrimp and scallops with the seafood seasoning and add to the pan with the shallots. Cook for around 4 minutes until just cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Add the spinach to the pan with a little more oil if needed and sauté for 1-2 minutes until just wilted, then add to the bowl of cooked seafood. Turn off the heat but do not clean the pan.
Prepare the filling by adding the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Then fold in the crab meat and the cooled seafood and spinach.
Using the same pan from the seafood, set over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Add the milk, cream, and wine and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
Add ½ cup of sauce to the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon the filling into the cooked pasta shells and place in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells, then top with ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.