Stuffed Pasta Shells

By Christy Rost

Sauce:

3		tablespoons olive oil
1		chopped medium onion
4-5		cloves minced garlic
6		chopped medium Roma tomatoes
½		teaspoon sugar
		freshly ground black pepper to taste
1		15-ounce can tomato sauce
1		tablespoon dried oregano
1		tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add olive oil and chopped onion. Saute onion several minutes until translucent, stir in garlic, and cook 1 additional minute. Add tomatoes; raise heat to medium and cook several minutes until tomatoes soften, stirring often. Season with sugar and ground pepper. Stir in prepared tomato sauce.

Reduce heat to low. Add herbs, rubbing dried oregano between hands to release flavor. Simmer sauce 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, puree sauce with a hand-held blender for desired smoothness. While sauce simmers, prepare shells.

Pasta Shells:

½		large pasta shells (approx. 25-30 shells)
1		16-ounce carton lowfat or non-fat ricotta cheese
¼		teaspoon salt
1		tablespoon snipped fresh chives
2		tablespoons chopped fresh basil
		grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, for garnish

Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Do not overcook pasta. Spoon a small amount of sauce into bottom of casserole dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the cheese, salt, chives, and basil. Fill each shell with 2 teaspoons ricotta mixture and place shells in casserole dish, with the opening facing down. Spoon enough sauce over stuffed shells to cover.

Cover dish with foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and shells are soft. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and serve.

Recipe serves 4.