Ricotta And Greens Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

2 cups ricotta
1 bunch leafy greens (Such as dandelion greens or Kale, stemmed, chopped, rinsed, blanched, shocked, and squeezed of excess liquid) *See Note
2-3 anchovies (optional)* See Note
2 cloves garlic, finely grated on a microplane
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)*See Note
1 tsp aleppo pepper (optional) *See Note
1 tsp kosher salt
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
2 cups homemade (or your favorite) tomato sauce
25-30 large pasta shells
Parmesan, to garnish
Good olive oil

Directions:

Blitz dandelion greens, ricotta, nutmeg, aleppo pepper, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add anchovies + garlic and pulse to combine. Taste & adjust seasoning as needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the shells until very al denté (I did about 6 minutes), stirring regularly. You want them undercooked so that as they bake they don't fall apart or become flabby. Drain+rinse, freeing any shells which may be stuck together. Agitate colander to drain any collected water in the shells.

Spoon ricotta into pasta - about a tablespoon apiece - and arrange in a medium-size baking pan. (I have some leftover, which I'll be adding to another pasta dish or slathering into toast.) Generously ladle sauce around and between the shells, like a cozy blanket.

Drizzle a little olive oil, more freshly cracked pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Raise temp to 425, tenting small pieces of foil onto any shell ends which are particularly brown (so other surfaces can catch up), and bake for 10 mins or until shells are golden to your liking.
Scatter Parmesan, drizzle olive oil, and serve immediately.

Note from feedfeed:

To prep the greens, bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, set up a large bowl of ice water in the sink, and set a strainer on top. When the water reaches a boil, add your prepped greens and cook for about 3 minutes, or until bright green. Remove the greens from the boiling water with tongs, and add to the strainer set over the ice water. Shock for about 2 minutes, then drain thoroughly, and squeeze out excess moisture with a clean tea towel. 

If you have the ingredients listed as optional, by all means add them for a boost of flavor, but do not skip this delicious recipe if they are missing from your pantry.