Spicy Truffle Marinara with Classic Ricotta Shells

Imagine watching the Italian sunset, a glass of Cabernet in hand, as you savor a plate of pasta perfection. These delicious ricotta stuffed shells resting on a bed of spicy truffle marinara, create just that- a rememberable Italian experience for you and your loved ones to enjoy.

Recently, I shared a photo of this dish, and many of you asked for the recipe- that is often how many of my sharings find their way onto the blog. After a little hiatus, my heartstrings have been tugging to comeback and with your enthusiasm for this recipe, it felt like the perfect request I couldn’t resist. This unique dish seemed to be a wonderful opening to begin again. To your delight, it’s surprisingly simple to create. Traditional Italian ricotta-stuffed pasta meets the bold richness of truffle, with just a whisper of heat for balance. Truly an evening dish you will want to revisit.

The centerpiece of the entire dish.

Before we begin, let’s note truffle oil should only be added into any dish moments before serving. Truffle oil is a finishing oil. That means the compounds of the truffle are not heat-stable and breakdown if exposed to high heat. This earthy, bold profile transforms any base by its aromatic qualities but always remember she’s delicate and likes to be the final touch.

(Picture is for visual: Follow the ingredients list below.)

If you desire to make this meal the most authentic way, I recommend creating the marinara completely from scratch. However, if you need to cut down preparation time, there are alternative ways you can achieve the foundation of this dish.

Optimal Efficiency:

Spicy Truffle Marinara or Truffle Marinara is the most efficient way you can create the bed of this dish. TRUFF creates phenomenal flavor for truffle marinara sauce. They have perfected their flavoring in every shelf item they have made thus far. Highly recommend these canned sauces for those moments you desire delicious, quick grab and go marinara.

Semi-Efficient:

Another way is by adding fresh grated Black Truffles into your already favorite marinara. Prepare the truffle as described below, then add the mixture into your preferred marinara. This allows you to carve time off your preparation while gaining the fresh beloved truffle flavor. It is important to note you will need to expose the truffle to oil in low heat ( not above 120 F/ 40 C) prior to adding into your choice of marinara, this allows the truffle notes to open, giving you the most flavor for your sauce infusion.

Let’s Prepare Spicy Truffle Marinara!

The process will take about 35 minutes—from preparation to laying the foundation. If you’d like to cut your prep time, I have shared above two additional options for the most efficient methods.

Spicy Truffle Marinara Ingredients:

2 cans Whole San Marzano Tomatoes – San Marzano tomatoes are prized for their quality, flavor profile, and are an Italian tradition. However, you are welcome to use any tomatoe you desire. As pictured above, I had farmers market tomatoes I needed to use so I added them into the recipe.

1.5 oz Amore Tomato Paste- Amore’s paste is chef’s kiss and the quality delivers every time. Any paste is fine.

1 Shallot minced

2 tablespoons Virgin Olive Oil

3/4th Basil bundle – The other 1/4 is used for garnish at the end. Fresh basil is always recommended but you can use dried if you so desire. Your guess on measurements is as good as mine, I always use fresh basil.

3 tablespoons Garlic minced – Adjust according to your preference for garlic. I love to cook with garlic and normally add more once I taste test.

1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt

1 teaspoon Black Peppercorn

2 tablespoons Garlic Powder

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar – Introducing brown sugar to tomatoes balances the acidic profile- adding more depth.

2 tablespoons Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce- For more or less heat, add and subtract the number of tablespoons

1 Black Truffle grated

( This recipe is equivalent to two jars of sauce, you will need 1 jar for every 13×9 base )

In a saucepan, add olive oil, minced garlic, and shallot over high heat. Cook til light brown- this should be around 2 to 3 minutes. If you are cooking with cherry tomatoes add those in at this time with 1/2 cup of water, left simmer for 2 minutes til they soften a tiny bit.

After browning, add one can of whole San Marzano tomatoes with its sauce, plus a second can of San Marzano tomatoes without sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover and simmer over high heat for 20 minutes. At the halfway mark, add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and three-fourths of a bundle of basil. Remove the basil leaves from their stems—no need to chop, as they will naturally wilt during the remainder of cooking.

After the marinara has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it from the heat. If you used firmer tomatoes, they may still hold their shape but will feel tender and mushy to the touch—this is ideal. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, creating a consistent, velvety texture.

When blending, use the pulse options in the beginning before graduating to a low steady speed. The pulsing gives you more control over the texture and long blending creates unnecessary additional heat.

After blending, clean the saucepan and return the sauce to it. This is the perfect time to taste-test—adjust the seasoning if needed. Once you’re satisfied with the flavor, it’s time to add some heat by stirring in the chili sauce. Now, its truffle time.

Let’s Prepare Truffle!

In a separate saucepan, add your oil, garlic, tiny bit of shallot and bring to medium heat. Once your saucepan is warm, grate your truffle over top. You are warming the truffle til the aromas present themselves, around 30 seconds. Strain using a cheese cloth if you desire only the oil or directly add into the resting marinara for the full mushroom and flavor.

You are now ready to lay the foundation of the dish. 1 inch depth of sauce is sufficient.

Let’s Prepare Ricotta Shells!

Classic Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Ingredients:

15 oz Ricotta Cheese

4 oz Parmesan shredded

2 tablespoons Garlic minced

3 tablespoons Parsley

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 egg

1 bag Garofalo Pasta Conchiglioni Jumbo

Preheat oven to 350°F. Then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While your pasta is cooking, in a mixing bowl bring all the ricotta ingredients listed together. You will want to time this evenly, so the pasta shells are not drained and resting taking another shape. Once drained and cooled off enough to be held, start filling the pasta with the mixture. 1 tablespoon each shell.

Lay the prepared pasta diagonally on the marinara base. Top the dish with the remaining 1/4th basil bundle- finely chopped. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 20–30 minutes, until the base begins to gently simmer.

Remove from the oven—and voilà—serve and enjoy!