Stuffed Shells for Valentines Day

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Stuffed Shells for Valentines Day

Servings

4

Cook Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

    Simple Sauce

    • 1 28 oz. can San Marzano Tomatoes (blend in blender for a few seconds) or leave the tomatoes whole for a more rough texture)
    • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 links Italian sausage (mild), casings removed.
    • 3 Tablespoons pasta water

    Stuffed Shells

    • 20 large shells
    • 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
    • 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
    • 4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • Fresh ground black pepper to taste

    Directions

    1. Boil the shells according to package directions.  Save some pasta water. Lay the cooked shells out on parchment paper or foil. Let cool.

    2. In a medium saucepan put the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered stirring occasionally. Stir in the olive oil and pasta water. Set aside.

    3. In a separate small fry pan brown the sausage until cooked through, breaking it up nicely.  Drain the grease if any.  Stir the sausage into the tomato sauce. Set aside.

    4. In a medium size bowl mix the ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, lemon zest beaten egg and pepper.  Stir until combined. Stuff the shells.

    5. Spoon ¼ of the sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 or equivalent baking pan. Lay the stuffed shells  into the pan on top of the sauce. Cover with remaining sauce.

    6. Bake at 350 until bubbly about 20-25 minutes. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted about 4 more minutes.