Olive Garden Stuffs Shells with Hearty Fillings and Fresh Flavors

Olive Garden rings in the New Year with the addition of two stuffed shells specialties to warm guests up from Jan. 2 through Feb. 12.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) December 28, 2005 -- Olive Garden rings in the New Year with the addition of two stuffed shells specialties to warm guests up from Jan. 2 through Feb. 12:

Stuffed Shells with Shrimp is a dish of large pasta shells filled with a creamy blend of ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, fresh spinach and parsley, served over marinara sauce. Shells are topped with sautéed shrimp and fresh diced Roma tomatoes, which are tossed in a creamy seafood Alfredo sauce. A full and smooth Chardonnay such as Bertani Le Lave is the perfect complement to this dish.

Stuffed Shells with Sausage is a hearty entrée bubbling with the same Italian cheese blend, served over marinara and then topped with baked sausage and fresh spinach in a creamy Alfredo sauce. A robust Italian red wine, such as Olive Garden’s signature house wine Principato Rosso, enhances the rich flavors of this dish.

Tips for Preparing Stuffed Shells at Home

*Generally, shell fillings consist of ricotta cheese as the base – with salt and pepper to taste – and additional ingredients, such as assorted cheeses, garlic, spinach and fresh herbs.

*Favorite fillings among Olive Garden executive chefs include: four cheese, such as the one in Olive Garden’s shells, which includes ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano; Asiago and chopped basil with ricotta; and ricotta with spinach, Parmesan and sharp provolone.

*Cooked shells can be stuffed by hand or with a spoon. However, if you prefer to keep your hands clean, transfer cheese mixture into a plastic bag and cut the tip off one corner. Then "pipe" the filling into the shells.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with 568 restaurants, 70,000 employees and more than $2 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI), the world’s largest casual dining company. For more information, visit Olive Garden’s Web site at www.olivegarden.com.

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