Salad Stuffed Pasta Shells

Caprese salad stuffed shells

Think a bit outside the box where stuffed shells are concerned.....

With a nice cadre of salads under your belt, here's a great way to showcase your favorites on a party platter or just to have for a quick easy grab'n'go snack.

I got this idea when planning for weekend guests and wanting something fun and easy to grab for lunch. I had decided on a variety of salads to accommodate vegetarians and other dietary constraints that traditional lunch meats would not. Then, while perusing my pantry for ideas, I saw that I had this extra box of shells kicking around from a traditional stuffed shell dinner I had prepared during the winter. It was springtime and I knew I wouldn't be cooking that heavy for a while and wanted a way to make use of the shells rather than have the box on the shelf until the fall.

Salad Stuffed Shells vs Salad on Bread

Nutritionally speaking, two cooked jumbo pasta shells have about 40 calories, 8 grams of carbohydrates, and 1.4 grams of protein—significantly lighter than two slices of whole wheat bread, which clock in at around 140 calories, 24 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of protein. If your salad is protein packed (especially if you're using some Greek yogurt in place of mayo) the salad stuffed shells are a big win over a sandwich -- even if you eat 4 of them instead of 2.

I made a variety of salads including chicken, egg, lobster, and the caprese that's pictured here. I cooked the shells in a large pot until al dente and quick cooled them in ice water so that they didn't get starchy-sticky.

Having tongs to gently get the shells out of the boiling water and then to transfer from the ice water is very handy. Once they are cool, you want to lay them on a rack to dry out a bit. One of the best things about this recipe vs finger sandwiches is that they can be made in advance and will not get soggy. I stuffed them on a Thursday and served them for lunches / snacks throughout the weekend. Another cool thing is that you can wrap the stuffed shells individually in plastic wrap and take them anywhere in a cooler or thermal lunch tote.

How Much Salad and How Many Shells?

That is the question..... A 1-lb box of jumbo shells contains around 36 shells, and each cooked shell will hold between 1/4 and 1/3 cups of filling. Keeping in mind that shells break both before cooking and after, I typically count on 30 per box.

Speaking of broken shells, I had planned to make up a batch so I had photos of the process. The plan got foiled because all the boxes at the store looked like that were in a fight and lost. So, I'll do my best to describe sans the photos. As I mentioned, when I made these last, I sued a variety of salads and cooked one box of shells. The recipe here is for the caprese filling pictured and will fill approximately 6 to 8 shells.

THE RECIPE:

6 - 8 al dente cooked jumbo shells, cooled and drained

1 cup of freshly diced ripe tomatoes drained and packed (Draining is important so the shells can be hand-food)

1T minced garlic

1/4 C diced sweet or red onion or scallion (1/8th" dice)

1/2 C chopped fresh basil

1/2 C finely diced or shredded hard cheese like parmesan or Romano

1T capers (optional)

Salt / Pepper to taste

Balsamic glaze of vinegar

• In a large pot or rapidly boiling salted water, cook the shells until al dente (the shortest time recommended on the box)

• While the shells are cooking, prepare a large bowl or pot with ice and cold water to quick-cool the shells

• At the end of the cooking time, remove the pot from the hot burner and carefully use tings to transfer the shells to the ice bath. They are less likely to break if you spick them up one-at-a-time. You can also use a slotted spoon, but the tongs help to shed more of the cooking water.

• Once all the shells have been transferred to the ice bath, they can be carefully transferred to a cooling rack set in a cooking sheet or with paper towels underneath to catch the dripping water.

  • When I make this second transfer, I try to jiggle the shells a bit to shed extra water and then arrange them with the opening down to drain. Since they are cool at this point, it may be easier to use your hands instead of the tongs.

• While the shells are draining, combine everything but the balsamic and toss to combine.

• If you don't have balsamic glaze kicking around, put a half a cup of vinegar in a small sauce pan and heat and simmer until reduced by 1/3 to 1/2, then you have glaze! Set it aside to cool.

With a spoon, carefully fill each shell with the caprese salad and set on a platter.

Caprese salad stuffed shells

If serving immediately, drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

OR

If you're serving later, the stuffed shells can be stored in an air-tight container, and the glaze can be stored in a jar or plastic container at room temp.

OR

If you're planning to individually wrap each shell for traveling (these are great when you're out sailing as part of lunch or a snack), drizzle some balsamic glaze in the shell before filling so you don't compromise the flavor for the portability.