Stuffed Shells - jumbo shells

Method

• Before making, *SEE TIPS BELOW*.
• Cook shells as per box instructions, less a few minutes.
• Thaw the spinach and then use a cheese cloth/tea towel to squeeze all the water out.
• Do the same to the artichoke hearts.
• Set both of these aside (they can be in the same bowl).
• Saute the onion and garlic until they are completely translucent and the pan is dry.
• I start this on high heat, toss in the onions, and salt them about 5 minutes later, then start lowering the heat.
• The goal here is to brown them (not char them), and to get as much of the moisture out of them as possible.
• Once the onions are ready (about 15-20 minutes), toss in the spinach and artichoke hearts, and saute another 5-10 minutes on low, just to dry everything out a little more.
• Toss this mixture into a food processor and pulse until you get a nice fine chop.
• You dont want a paste, but you also dont want any big chunks.
• Mix the above with the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, 5 whole eggs, 2 tsps.
• nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate for later.
• Saute the mushrooms until the pan is dry (you can follow the same guidelines we used for the onions.
• Add the butter and flour, and stir, on low heat, until you get a nice, tan colored paste.
• Whisk in the milk, bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer.
• Break up the yolks with a fork, pour in about a cup of the sauce into the eggs, stirring constantly.
• Pour the egg/sauce mixture into the pot (where you have the rest of the sauce), whisking constantly.
• Add in 1 tsp.
• nutmeg, salt & pepper, parsley, and Parmesan.
• Simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Stuff the shells using a pastry bag or zip top bag.
• Spread about a cup of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and place shells on top of sauce.
• Cover in additional sauce, top with cheese, and bake at a 375 oven for 30-45 minutes.
• This should make about 2 to 2-1/2 rectangular pans.
• I make such a large quantity because these are time consuming to put together, and this way I have a meal to pop in the freezer for another night.
• *A few good tips.
• Cook the shells for less time than the box recommended, about 2-3 minutes less.
• Fish the shells out with a slotted spoon, instead of pouring everything out into a colander.
• You can avoid breakage that way.
• Lastly, I filled these the same way I fill deviled eggs.
• I got a gallon zip top bag, put the filling inside and then clipped the corner.
• This works really well, and you can just toss the bag when youre done.