jumbo pasta shells
See also: pasta
Also known as: conchiglioni
A large, conch-shaped dried pasta, sized specifically to be boiled, filled, and baked -- unlike most pasta shapes, which are meant to carry a sauce rather than hold a filling. Their wide opening and sturdy walls hold a generous scoop of cheese, meat, or vegetable filling without falling apart once sauced and baked.
Buying guidance
Look for "jumbo" on the box specifically -- regular and "medium" shells are too small to stuff with a spoon and are meant for tossing with sauce instead. Count on some breakage in every box; buy a few extra shells beyond a recipe's stated count to cover the ones that crack while boiling.
Substitutions
- Manicotti or cannelloni tubes -- hold a similar amount of filling, piped or spooned in rather than scooped.
- Round zucchini or bell peppers, hollowed out -- what this filling was written to stuff in the first place; not a pasta at all, but achieves the same "vessel for a filling" role.
- Lasagna, layered instead of stuffed -- more work to reconfigure, but uses the same filling in a different assembled form.
Tips & common mistakes
Boiled a minute or two past al dente, the shells turn fragile and tear apart while being filled -- pull them slightly underdone, since they finish cooking in the oven anyway. Draining them and letting them sit too long before filling can also cause them to stick together or to the pan.
Storage
Dry, unfilled shells keep for a year or more in a sealed box at room temperature. Once boiled, treat like any cooked pasta -- refrigerate and use within a few days, or fill and freeze the assembled dish.