Garlic Scape and Kale Stuffed Shells

I warned you last week that I’m obsessed with garlic scapes… And, also that I stockpiled them and had quite a few garlic scape recipes coming your way. Well, here’s another one!

I guess you could say that I am also somewhat obsessed with stuffed pasta, especially in the summer! I love to use whatever fresh greens I have on hand (and, I always seem to have greens on hand from our CSA) to make stuffed shells or homemade ravioli.  But, since both can be a bit time consuming (totally do-able, but not a quick last minute dinner!), I tend to make a big batch and freeze the leftover pasta.  Stuffed pasta freezes beautifully, and it makes for simple and easy homemade dinners when I don’t have the time (or energy!) to cook.

I’ve really been doing quite well since my surgery, but my energy is still limited.  So, when I woke up one morning with a lot of energy, I decided to take advantage of it, and I made a big (big!) batch of stuffed shells. I still had some garlic scapes in the fridge (no big surprise there, right?) and I had a big bunch of kale from our CSA, so I thought I’d combine them in the filling. 

I love the garlicky flavor of the scapes when they are raw (which is strange, since I really hate raw garlic, but I digress…), so I didn’t bother to saute the scapes before adding them to the filling.  You could certainly cook both the scapes and the kale before using them in this recipe (just a bit of olive oil and a pinch of red pepper will do the trick!), if you prefer.  But, I decided to save some time and spare myself the dish washing, and I just used them raw.

Both my husband (who isn’t quite as enthralled with garlic scapes as I am) and I loved these stuffed shells.  You can taste the garlic in the cheesy filling, but it’s not overpowering.  Throw in your favorite marinara sauce and some mozzarella cheese, and  you have a dinner that’s packed with flavor and lots of nutrients from the kale!

Garlic Scape and Kale Stuffed Shells
(Makes about 14 – 16 servings)

• 2 – 12 ounce boxes of jumbo shell pasta
• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and tough stems removed
• 8 – 10 garlic scapes, tough ends removed
• 48 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces grana padano cheese (or parmigiano reggiano), grated
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Marinara sauce
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Begin by cooking the shells according to the package directions.  Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the kale and garlic scapes in the food processor, and pulse until they are finely chopped (you don’t want any big chunks of garlic scape in your shell filling!).  It may be easiest to do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Once the kale and scapes are chopped, transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Add the ricotta cheese, grana padano cheese, eggs, and oregano to the kale and scape mixture.  Season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine all of the ingredients in the filling.

Transfer the filling to a disposable piping bag (again, you will want to work in batches here), snip the end off, and then pipe the filing into the cooked shells.

If you are baking the shells, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Place the stuffed shells in single layer in a baking dish (the size will depend on how many shells you are baking).  Top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, and bake for about 35 – 40 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbly.

To freeze the shells, simply arrange them on a single layer on a sheet tray lined with waxed paper.  Place the tray in the freezer until the shells are frozen.  Then, transfer the frozen shells to freezer bags and return to the freezer.  When you are ready to bake them, simply arrange the frozen shells in a baking dish, and bake according to the directions above.  If the shells are completely frozen, the dish can be covered with foil and baked for the first 30 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 – 45 minutes.