Stuffed Pasta Shells with Just a Little Attitude
Ingredients:
1/2 of a 12 oz. pkg. of Jumbo Pasta Shells
1 c. part-skim Ricotta Cheese
1 egg - beaten
2 T. Parmesan Cheese
1/4 t. nutmeg
dash of pepper
2. c. prepared spaghetti sauce *
1 lb. Italian Sausage - I prefer garlic sausage
2 cloves of garlic crushed or 1 t. garlic powder
Parmesan Cheese
Non-stick Cooking Spray
Directions:
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Cook pasta as directed on package - almost. Slightly under cook it because it will also be baked. Drain, and let stand in a bowl of COLD water to make it firmer and easier to work with.
-
In a bowl mix together: ricotta, egg, 2 T parmesan, nutmeg and pepper.
-
Fill each shell with about 1 T of ricotta mixture. Place stuffed shells in a 9 X 13 oven safe dish prepared with non-stick spray.
-
Brown sliced sausage in a skillet, add crushed garlic cook until sausage is nearly done, add spaghetti sauce or red gravy.
-
Pour sauce over the stuffed pasta.
-
Top with remaining parmesan.
-
Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 4, but is easily doubled.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with a tossed salad and breadsticks or garlic bread.
- I prefer to make Italian Red Gravy and use it instead of the prepared sauce, it tastes so much better and I can spice it up as much as I want to.
Basic Italian Red Gravy
Ingredients
1-28oz. can of crushed tomato, stewed tomato or puree
1-6oz. can of tomato paste
2-3 cloves of garlic (or more)
Olive oil
Basil, parsley, oregano, salt,
pepper to taste
1/4 cup of red table wine (more or less)
Directions
- Crush garlic with the side of a knife and mince.
(I use a garlic press). - Add olive oil to a sauce pot turned on to medium-low heat. Add garlic and gently sauté.
- (Savor the aroma of the cooked garlic!) Lightly cook garlic until it starts to change color.
- Don’t overcook, as the garlic will be bitter if left to long.
- Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine. Add spices to taste.
- Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer. Stir occasionally as the mixture cooks
- If you wish, add more minced garlic or spices like: onion, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, parsley black pepper.