Dairy Farmers of Canada

Seafood-Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe with Shrimp & Crab

Seafood and cream, an irresistible combination. Giant pasta shells stuffed with shrimp and crab, topped with ricotta cheese and a beautiful garlic cream sauce.

"When I saw the theme for this month's challenge, I was excited. My family and I love stuffed pasta and I wanted to create a version that we had never had before. I knew seafood would pair beautifully with cream, so that is the direction I decided to take." This recipe is from Cindy Jamieson, winner of Great Cream Challenge May 2014.

  • Prep: 50 min
  • Cooking: 45 min
Yields 5 - 6 Servings
Seafood-Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe with Shrimp & Crab

Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 box of large pasta shells
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 mini red sweet peppers, finely chopped
  • 1-340g package of 50/61 count raw shrimp, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (*or substitute spices in Tips below)
  • 1-475g container of Canadian Ricotta
  • 1-120g can of leg meat crab, drained (any kind of crab meat will do, including fresh-steamed)
  • 1-120g can of chunk crab meat, drained
  • 1 cup shredded Canadian Mozzarella, divided
  • 1/3 cup grated Canadian Parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1-500 mL container of 35% cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1/4 cup grated Canadian Parmesan
Placeholder alt

READY FOR REWARDS?

Sign up for our new More Goodness program for exclusive offers, recipes, contests and more.

SUBSCRIBE

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice top off of the head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and bake until very soft and fragrant; about 30-45 minutes. Let cool and remove cloves from skin.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt. Add in large shells and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Reduce the oven heat to 350°F.

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add in onion and red pepper, and cook until onions are translucent; about 3 minutes. Add in shrimp and season with Old Bay seasoning. Cook until shrimp becomes pink and opaque; about 3-5 minutes. Remove from skillet and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, both cans of crab meat, parmesan, mozzarella, egg and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper. Stir in cooled shrimp mixture.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with butter. Fill each pasta shell with 2 tablespoons of shrimp/crab filling and place in baking dish. Repeat until all shells have been filled.

In the same skillet you cooked the shrimp in, bring the cream and milk to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, adding in the roasted garlic, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and whisk in the flour and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Return to simmer, until sauce has thickened; 5 minutes.

Pour half the sauce over the filled pasta shells, in baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes; until top begins to brown. Serve with remaining sauce, which has been kept warm.

Tips

* You can substitute Old Bay seasoning with a combination of the following ingredients:
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp paprika

Learn more about

Nutritional information

Per serving
Energy: 826 Calories
Protein: 42 g
Carbohydrate: 44 g
Fat: 54 g
Fibre: 2.1 g
Sodium: 1091 mg

Top 5 Nutrients

(% DV*)
Calcium: 50 % / 555 mg
Folate: 75 %
Phosphorus: 63 %
Selenium: 164 %
Vitamin B12: 163 %