Name: Spicy Unstuffed Pasta Shells With Roasted Garlic and Chèvre
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tsp. kosher salt; 12 oz. large pasta shells; 1 (24-oz.) jar marinara sauce; ¼ cup roasted garlic, drained and roughly chopped; 4 oz. fresh chèvre; ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, plus more for serving; Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for serving

Baked pasta shells with marinara sauce and goat cheese.

Photo by Eva Kolenko

Stuffed shells are great, whether they’re baked in a pan or cooked in a skillet. But unstuffed shells are the ultimate weeknight easy pasta dinner. No fussing, no filling shells one by one, no torn pasta bits.

To make this hearty pasta sauce oh-so-good with oh-so-little effort, you need just a handful of ingredients. Here’s an important truth: The olive bar has to be the most underrated section of the grocery store. To make the most of that little treasure trove, we like to think of the stuff we find there not only as snacks, but also as hugely flavorful, time-saving ingredients! Peppadews and marinated feta are great, but we never walk past without stocking up on roasted garlic. The soft, sweet, subtly nutty cloves that would take hours to make at home are almost always available, already cooked perfectly, and ready to lend some delicate, nutty, molten garlic love to any dish they grace.

Another trick that makes this dish work so well? Adding a bit of salty, starchy pasta cooking liquid to the pan helps in creating a creamy sauce that really clings to the shells.

Cook’s note:

Chèvre is also known simply as “goat cheese.”

Recipe information

Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp. kosher salt

12 oz. large pasta shells

1 (24-oz.) jar marinara sauce

¼ cup roasted garlic, drained and roughly chopped

4 oz. fresh chèvre

½ tsp. red pepper flakes, plus more for serving

Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for serving

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Fill a large pot with 4 quarts water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes; it will be underdone. Reserve ¾ cup of the liquid and drain the pasta.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, combine the marinara, roasted garlic, 1 ounce of the chèvre, and the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the cheese is fully incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add the pasta to the skillet along with the reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium heat, stirring to combine, about 2 minutes. Dollop the remaining 3 ounces chèvre all over.
Step 5
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 2 more minutes.
Step 6
Top with the parsley and more red pepper flakes. Serve warm.

Images and text from The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer; photography by Eva Kolenko. Buy the full book from Simon & Schuster or Amazon.