Olive oilfor shallow frying, plus more for greasing the pan
4small zucchinisthinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepperto taste
1 (15 oz)container ricotta cheese
10ozshredded whole milk mozzarella cheesedivided
¼cupchopped fresh basilplus more for garnish
¼cupchopped fresh parsley
⅓cupfreshly grated pecorino romano cheeseplus more for topping
3cupsmarinara saucestore-bought or homemade*
½ of aboxjumbo shellsabout 25 dry shells
Instructions
Heat about 1 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, fry zucchini, in batches until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Doing this in batches is essential to get nicely golden zucchini. Place on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and set aside to drain.
Place a large pot of water over high heat for boiling the pasta. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
In a small bowl, mix ricotta, about ⅓ of the mozzarella, basil, parsley, and pecorino until combined. Fold in the drained zucchini. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Once water is boiling, heavily salt your water and drop in the shells. Boil for 8 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked).
Drain pasta and run under cold water to cool off. Drizzle with a touch of oil, so that the shells don't stick together.
Grease a medium-sized baking dish of any kind with a bit of olive oil.
Add a layer of marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
Fill each shell with ricotta mixture. Place shells in the prepared baking dish as you fill.
Top with an even layer of marinara sauce. **
Top with remaining mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of pecorino romano.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover and broil until the cheese is golden. Garnish with fresh torn basil, if desired.
Video
Notes
*Marinara Sauce
3 Tbsp olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 anchovy filets
2 Tbsp tomato paste
Pinch of chili flakes
2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed well by hand (or pulsed in a food processor or blender)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until golden. Add anchovies and cook until they melt into the oil. Stir in tomato paste and chili flakes. Cook until tomato paste browns, about 3 minutes. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer on low, for at least 45 minutes, until the flavors have infused, the tomatoes have broken down, and the sauce has thickened a bit. **Add as much sauce as you’d like, you just want to cover the shells. Some people like it more saucy, some like it less :)