Baked Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

· Kosher salt

· .25 cup extra-virgin olive oil

· 6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

· One 35-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, preferable San Marzano, crushed by hand

·  .5 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

· 10 fresh basil leaves

· 1 pound jumbo pasta shells

· 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese

· 1.5 pounds fresh ricotta or packaged whole milk ricotta, drained overnight

· 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano

· .3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

· Freshly ground black pepper to taste

· 1 large egg

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil, and cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Pour the tomatoes into the skillet, slosh out the can with 1 cup water, and add that. Add the crushed red pepper, and season lightly with salt. Bring the sauce pan to a quick boil, then adjust the heat to simmering. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir the basil into the sauce a few minutes before its done.

2.  Stir the shells into the salted boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly firmer than al dente, about 7 minutes. Fish the shells out of the water with a spider, and plunge into a large bowl of ice water. Let cool, then drain.

3. Thinly slice half the mozzarella, and cut the remaining half into .25-inch cubes. Turn the drained ricotta into a mixing bowl, and stir in the mozzarella cubes, grated cheese, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Beat the egg well, and stir into the
ricotta mixture.

4.  Remove the garlic and line the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch baking dish with about .75 cup of the tomato sauce. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into each shell—the shell should be filled to capacity, but not overstuffed. Nestle the shells next to each other in the baking dish as you fill them, spooning the remaining sauce over the shells, coating each one. Arrange the slices of mozzarella in an even layer over the shells, coating each one. Bake until the
mozzarella in brown an bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

From: Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook

By: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and
Tanya Bastianich Manuali