This version is vegetarian friendly. Yes kids, that means no meat involved. I thought I should put that out there since it was a surprise to my testing audience--- umm, I mean husband. I will suggest that adding a half pound of browned ground beef seasoned with Italian herbs to the cheese mixture would be a great addition. Of course 1 1/2 cups of steamed spinach added to the cheese mixture would be a great way to sneak veggies in too!
Making the pasta sauce from scratch really makes a difference. The sweet, tangy sauce has a slight kick at the end thanks to the pepper flakes. It's a huge complimenting element that contrasts to the mellow, pillowy cheeses bursting from the aldente pasta shells. Have I sold you yet? ;-)
This does make a lot of servings, so it's great for catering gatherings or church potlucks. It also freezes well!
Ingredients:
1 box jumbo pasta shells (I used Da Vinci)
2 24 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 tubs of Ricotta
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
crushed black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
4 cups shredded Italian cheeses (I used a mixed bag you can find in the dairy aisle)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced fresh onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons crush red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sugar
non-stick cooking spray
In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter bubbles. Add the onion, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, cooking five minutes or until the onion is translucent. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Stir until well combined. Let it simmer 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes,
In a large pot, add the quarts of water suggested on the box, and prepare pasta as directed. Drain and cover to keep warm.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1 cup of the shredded cheeses. Mix until thoroughly combined.
In a large casserole dish (I used a large roasting pan), spray your non-stick cooking oil. Add half of the tomato sauce to the dish. Carefully remove the shells from the pot and stuff with a spoonful of the cheese mixture. Place the stuffed shells in lines on top of the sauce. Once all of the shells have been stuff and added to the dish, pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the pasta and sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove for the over and discard the foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered.
Makes 8 servings.