Clams Casino Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipe
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Get ready to indulge in the most epic pasta dish of your life – Clams Casino Stuffed Pasta Shells. This mouthwatering recipe is a twist on a classic favorite, and trust me, you won’t want to miss this!
Imagine the flavors of clams casino, but instead of being served as an appetizer, it’s stuffed into pasta shells for a truly incredible dinner. Bacon, clams, peppers, cream, and cheese all come together in perfect harmony.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread out some bread cubes. Yes, you read that right – bread cubes! These will be the base of your clam-bread mixture, and they need to be completely dried out. Bake them in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they’re nice and crispy.
While the bread is baking, cook some bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You want it to be evenly browned, crispy, and all the fat rendered. This will take about 10 minutes, but trust me, it’s worth it. Once the bacon is done, push it to one side of the skillet and drain most of the rendered fat.
Now it’s time to add some diced onions and peppers to the skillet. Cook them until they just start to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add some garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved clam juice and cook, stirring, until half the liquid has been reduced. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the skillet contents into a bowl with the bread cubes. Pour in some reserved clams and toss to combine. Add some ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
Now it’s time to make the white sauce. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and whisk in some flour until it turns into a light tan color. Add some cold milk all at once and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce begins to simmer. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the sauce from heat and transfer 3/4 of it into a 9×12-inch baking dish. Reserve the rest for the top. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook some pasta shells until they’re about 75% tender. Drain and cover with just enough cold water to cover to prevent them from drying out.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff 20 shells with plenty of clam-bread mixture and place them on top of the sauce, making 5 rows of 4 shells. Top with the remaining white sauce and sprinkle with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake in the preheated oven until the pasta is fully tender, the sauce is bubbling around the edges, and the cheese on top is starting to brown. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes.
Top with some additional chopped parsley if desired, and serve immediately. This dish is sure to become a new favorite!
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 tablespoon butter
- 20 pasta shells
- 1 cup bread cubes
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 cup diced peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup reserved clam juice
- 1 cup reserved clams
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out bread cubes on the sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until crispy.
- 2. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until evenly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Push it to one side and drain most of the fat.
- 3. Add diced onions and peppers to the skillet and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved clam juice and reduce by half, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- 4. Transfer skillet contents to a bowl with the baked bread cubes. Add reserved clams, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
- 5. In the same skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and whisk in flour until it turns light tan. Add cold milk and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce simmers, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- 6. Remove the sauce from heat and reserve 3/4 of it in a 9x12-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta shells until 75% tender. Drain and cover with cold water.
- 7. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff 20 shells with clam-bread mixture and arrange them in the baking dish over the sauce. Top with remaining white sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- 8. Bake in the preheated oven until pasta is tender, the sauce is bubbling, and cheese is browning, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- 9. Top with additional chopped parsley if desired, and serve immediately.
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