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
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
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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
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 |
| Selenium: | 164 % |
| Vitamin B12: | 163 % |
| Folate: | 75 % |
| Phosphorus: | 63 % |
