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Baked Stuffed Shells

    Stuffed shells are amazing in my mind! I am all for pasta stuffed with cheese. I like to order this when I go out, so its about time I try to give a recipe a whirl.

Ingredients
    1 tsp of kosher salt
    1/4 cup of olive oil
    6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
    1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
    2 28 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
    1 lb of large pasta shells
    1 lb of ricotta, drained overnight
    16 ounces of mozzarella, cut into cubes, plus 4 ounces shredded
    2 cups of grated Grana Padano
    1 bunch of scallions, chopped
    8 ounces frozen peas, thawed
    3 tbs of fresh Italian parsley
                                             1 large egg, beaten
                                             1/2 cup of fresh basil


Directions
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
    In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
    Add garlic and cook until edges are golden.
    Sprinkle in red pepper flakes.
    Add the tomatoes, slosh out a can with 1 cup of cooking water, add to pot.
    Stir in salt, and bring to a rapid simmer.
    Cook uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes.
    While sauce is cooking, add the shells to boiling water and cook until al dente.
    For the filling, stir together in a bowl ricotta, cubed mozzarella,1 cup of  Grana Padano, peas, parsley and egg.
     Mix the shredded mozzarella and other Grana Padano cup in a different bowl.
     Stir in basil into the finished sauce.
     To assemble, in a large baking dish, spread 2 cups of the sauce in the dish.
     Divide the shells and fill each one, placing each one on top of the sauce.
     Once all the cheese filled pasta is in dish, pour two more cups of sauce on top.
     Sprinkle other cheese mixture on top and dollop left over sauce.
     Tent pan with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and let it bake more for another 5 to 10 minutes.


 Changes I Made!
    I hate peas, so nixed those in a heart beat.
    I also probably slightly cheated and got cans of already crushed tomatoes.


This recipe comes from Lidia's Celebrate Like an Italian.



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