Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Broccoli seems to be the one thing I get in my bin that is always carried over into the next week, I just don't eat it. Not necessarily because I don't like it but because there is just so much of it and I have so many other more inspiring options to choose from. So, for Wednesdays dinner, I was determined to find a way to use this up in a new, creative way and it just so happened that I had these huge funky pasta shells in my pantry. Once the idea for dinner was in place, Dylan and I set off to the store for the remaining items.

I started off by cooking the broccoli until it was just tender, then drained and set aside to cool. Then I cooked the pasta, which for your average person would probably be fairly easy to do, however this is me we are talking about. When the water was finally boiling, I poured the shells into the water (not so gently) forgetting that they would all crack when they hit the bottom of the pan. I ended up losing about half of the shells in the process. Once the shells were finally cooked, I set them aside to cool.

For the filling, I chopped the broccoli, added it to a bowl with some ricotta cheese, cream cheese and mozzarrella cheese and stirred to combine.

For the sauce, I added chopped onion, green bell pepper and garlic scapes to a sauce pan and cooked until soft. Next I added a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and chopped zucchini and cooked until the tomatoes started to release their juices. Then I added half a jar of roasted garlic and parmesan pasta sauce and continued to cook until heated through.

To assemble the dish, I stuffed the shells with a spoonful of the broccoli mixture and placed in a glass baking dish that had a layer of the sauce in the bottom. I poured the remaining sauce over top and covered with shredded mozzarrella cheese. For garnish I added a couple of thyme sprigs.  This was then put into a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt and the pasta to be warmed completely through.

I have to say that this turned out really well. Dylan enjoyed it so much that she just about finished off the entire pan in one sitting!