Ricotta stuffed shells

As you know, one of my best ways to spend an afternoon is making sauce and a delicious Italian meal. I've never stuffed shells before and decided Sunday afternoon was the time. I can see lots of variations coming in the weeks ahead.  

The recipe right before this one is where you will need to begin to make the sauce for this dish. Spray a  large casserole dish with non-stick spray and then ladle in about a cup of sauce into the bottom of the dish.

Now for the ingredients for the remainder of the recipe:

12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 egg

24 oz. Ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese, parsley, oregano, nutmeg and Parmesan. Add a few grinds of black pepper.

Carefully take the cooked shells and, using a small spoon, fill the shells with the cheese mixture. Place them on top of the sauce. You'll want to pack them in tightly so they will stay together and not ooze all that lovely cheese out of the shells.

Sprinkle the remaining Italian blend cheese over the top of the filled shells and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce on the bottom is bubbling. Remove foil and return to oven for a few minutes to allow the cheese to brown a little.

Now you have several ways to plate these wonderful shells. You can put a ladle of sauce down first, top with the shells and then more sauce. OR you can put the shells on the plate and then cover with sauce. Either way, make sure you add a little more grated Parmesan and a little basil.