Baked Stuffed Shells
Why I Love This Recipe
From Lidia Bastianich (sp?)
Ingredients You'll Need
1 ½ pounds ricotta
One 35 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
Salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella
1 cup fresh grated parmesan
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Fresh ground pepper
1 large egg
¼ cup olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp crushed red pepper
10 fresh basil leaves
1 pound jumbo pasta shells
Directions
Place ricotta in cheese cloth lined sieve, place over a bowl and allow to drain in refrigerator for 8 hours or up to one day. Discard liquid.
Pass tomatoes through food mill or process in food processor. Boil 6 quarts of salted water.
Slice half of mozzarella thin and cut remaining half into ¼ inch cubes. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, grated parsley. Season to taste with pepper. Beat egg and stir in well.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Scatter garlic in pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in tomatoes. Add crushed red pepper and season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in basil a few minutes before finished.
Cook shells until softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line bottom of 15x10 baking dish with ¾ cup sauce. Spoon 2 Tbs of cheese mixture in to each shell. Nestle the shells in the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Top with mozzarella slices. Bake until mozzarella is brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
