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September 23, 2026

Read about our staffHi Friends,

I love a good excuse to keep the oven on a little longer into September. It still feels like summer some afternoons, then the sun drops and suddenly I want something that needs a fork and a napkin both.

Today's recipe takes me back to growing up in Arizona where we had a lemon tree and my mom would always incorporate lemons into as many meals as possible. Being of Mediterranean descent that wasn't hard.

This Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Shells is straight from her old recipe. Why I like it for fall is that it is creamy enough to feel like a proper cold weather dinner, but that lemon keeps it from feeling heavy. It's the kind of recipe people ask for again before they've even finished the first plate.

Happy Cooking,
Anisa

Please add anisa@gophercentral.com to your address book or visit here.

Daily
Photo: The extra spoonful of sauce is not optional."

Lemon Ricotta Stuffed ShellsServes 4 to 6 | Prep 20 min | Bake 25 min
Ingredients
  • Softened butter, for the baking dish
  • Sea salt
  • 1 pound conchiglioni (jumbo pasta shells)
  • For the Ricotta Filling:
  • 3 cups (26 ounces) ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • For the Lemon Cream Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about 1/2 cup), plus more for topping
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Boil the shells in well salted water until very al dente, a couple minutes short of the package time. Drain and set aside.
  3. Stir together the ricotta, Pecorino, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
  4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and diced onion, and cook until the onion softens. Pour in the cream and let it bubble gently at the edges, then stir in the Parmigiano until smooth. Remove from the heat.
  5. Spread a thin layer of the lemon cream sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in the dish. Cover with the remaining sauce and a little extra Parmigiano.
  6. Bake until bubbling and lightly golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let the dish rest 10 minutes before serving.

Have you ever ended up with a filling too thin and a sauce too rich because you eyeballed both?

I have, more times than I want to admit, and it's always the ricotta filling that goes watery on me. That's why I'm into this Digital Measuring Cup Scale With Unit Conversion.

This little scoop measures in grams, ounces, cups, and milliliters, and doubles as a digital kitchen scale accurate within a single gram. Scoop your ricotta, zero it out, scoop your cream, no extra dishes. It auto shuts off after a minute so it is not draining batteries in a drawer, and the whole scoop pops off for an easy rinse.

Deal Alert: HALF OFF, just $9.99, down from $19.99.
Never Guess Your Ricotta Again!

Anisa's Kitchen Hack:

Freeze leftover lemon zest in ice cube trays with a splash of water. Drop a cube into soups, marinades, or sauces whenever you want brightness without buying a whole lemon.

Wipe your cutting board with a lemon half after cutting garlic or onion. It cuts the smell in half and leaves the board smelling clean.

Scent Station


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