Paneer Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

A delicious stuffed pasta recipe. The delectable stuffing in the pasta is so appetising, to make this stuffing we need paneer (Indian cottage cheese), spinach, garlic and sweetcorn. 

Tips:

1. I had prepared the sauce for this recipe in advance, you can do the same or go for store-bought marinara sauce
2. You can prepare the stuffing in advance to save time
3. If there’s any leftover stuffing then you can use it for a sandwich or a quesadilla
4. I have used jumbo pasta shells for this recipe, you can also use medium pasta shells.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian-Italian

Time: Preparation – 20 mins, Baking – 15 mins, Cooking – 25 mins, Total – 1 hour.

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

For Sauce-

1. Tomato – 5 medium-large (roughly chopped)
2. Fresh Basil Leaves – 6 (roughly chopped)
3. Garlic –  2 cloves (roughly chopped)
4. Chilli Flakes – 1/2 tsp
5. Ground Black Pepper – 1/4 tsp
6. Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
7. Salt to taste.

For Stuffing-

1. Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) – 200 grams (crumbled)
2. Spinach – 150 grams 
3. Sweet Corn – 1/2 cup 
4. Garlic – 2 cloves (finely chopped)
5. Chilli Flakes – 1/4 tsp
6. Ground Black Pepper – 1/4 tsp
7. Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
8. Salt to taste.

For Pasta-

1. Jumbo Pasta Shells – 15
2. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese to sprinkle on the top
3. Water to boil pasta
4. Salt to taste.

PS: 1 Cup = 250 ML.

How to make Paneer Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells:

1. To prepare the sauce
   • Add tomatoes, basil leaves and garlic cloves to a blending jar, blend on pulse to make a coarse paste
   • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the tomato paste, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper and salt. Mix and cook uncovered until excess water is absorbed and oil separates. Keep aside the tomato sauce
2. To prepare the stuffing
   • Blanch the spinach then chop it and keep aside
   • Again heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Saute until aromatic
   • Add spinach. Mix and saute for a min
   • Add crumbled paneer, sweet corn, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper and salt. Mix and cook for 3-4 mins. Keep aside the stuffing
3. To prepare the pasta
   • Boil pasta shells as per the instructions on the pack to bake. Keep aside
   • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius
   • Now take boiled pasta shells and stuff them with paneer spinach stuffing (around 1-1.5 tbsp)
   • Take the baking dish and spread 2-3 tbsp of tomato sauce (so that pasta doesn’t stick to the dish while baking). Place the stuffed pasta shells, spread the remaining tomato sauce on top of the pasta shells and finally sprinkle the cheese on the top
   • Bake for 15 mins and your Paneer Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells are ready. Serve hot!!!