Tiranga Stuffed Shells
Tiranga stuffed shells are an Indian twist to the classic spinach ricotta stuffed shells and it’s so yummy! This recipe is very special to me because I specially created it for India’s Independence day to represent the Tiranga (Tricolor flag of India). The base is a spinach sauce topped with shells filled with creamy paneer topped with a delicious red sauce and then baked to perfection. This has all the elements of the classic stuffed shell recipe like spinach, red sauce, and ricotta. The paneer filling is such that its consistency is close to ricotta. With all the flavors together this is a must-try. It will be a hit at any party or family dinner, it’s so comforting!
Happy Cooking!
Servings: 5-7 servings
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 45-50 mins
Baking Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1.5-2 hours
Ingredients:
Spinach layer:
200g spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger chopped up
1 green chili
1 small onion chopped
1/2-1 tsp salt as per taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
3-4 tbsp water
Red sauce: Click here for the recipe - make 3/4th of the recipe: about 1-1.25 cups
Shells and stuffing:
15-18 jumbo Shells
1 cup white sauce- Click here for the recipe - make half of the recipe
280-300g paneer crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2-1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
To bake:
1/2- 3/4 cup grade mozzarella/Amul cheese
Directions:
Spinach Layer: Blanch spinach and keep aside.
In a pan on medium heat, add butter.
Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add ginger, chili, and onions and cook for 5-7 mins till it starts browning.
Add blanched spinach, salt, pepper, sugar, and water and cook for 2-3 mins.
Let it cool and blend till smooth.
Cook for 1-2 mins till slightly thickened and keep aside.
Make Red sauce and White sauce as per the linked recipes above and keep them aside. Let the white sauce thicken.
Boil water and add shells till boiled al dente. Drain and keep them aside to cool for 3-4 mins.
Shell’s filling: In a bowl add crumbled paneer, salt, cumin powder, sugar, chili flakes, pepper, and white sauce.
Mix everything together till combined. The consistency of the filling is very close to ricotta cheese.
Use a spoon or piping bag to fill the boiled shells.
Assemble: Preheat oven to 350F.
In a shallow baking dish assemble the shells. I used a pie dish.
Layer the base of the dish with the spinach sauce.
Arrange and place the filled shells on top of the spinach sauce.
In between the shells, fill with some red sauce. Put some red sauce over the shells and spread it to a thin layer.
Sprinkle cheese over it.
Bake at 350F for 10-15 mins till the cheese is melted and the filling is warm.
Serve warm and enjoy! While serving make sure to get the spinach and red sauce.
Notes/Tips:
Blanch spinach- add spinach to boiling water for 1 minute and then transfer to cold water ice water and then drain.
You can make all three sauces from before and keep them in the fridge.
Make sure the white sauce is thick so that the consistency is not too liquid. The white sauce thickens when cooled.
Make sure the shells are covered with a little red sauce so it doesn’t dry out in the oven.
While serving make sure to serve with both sauces.
Using a shallow dish helps get a good balance of sauce and shells. A deep dish can have too much sauce.
