Baked Stuffed Ricotta & Pesto Shells
Pasta shells, stuffed with ricotta and pesto, baked in a tomato sauce
Equipment
- Oven Proof Dish
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 150 g Large shell pasta
- Half Large white/brown onion Chopped finely
- 2 cloves Garlic Chopped finely
- 400 g Tin tomatoes
- Large Handful Fresh basil
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 250 g Ricotta
- 130 g Basil pesto
- 20 g Parmesan Grated
- 50 g Mozzarella Grated
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- First you'll need to turn the oven on - heat to 180C.
- Next, cook your shell pasta according to packet instructions on the stove, drain and then rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop it from cooking. Set pasta aside for now.
- Start the sauce by adding your chopped onion and garlic to a warm pan with olive oil, allow it to gently cook for about 5 minutes - it's ready when the onions are translucent and softened. Add your tinned tomatoes and allow your sauce to simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Add chopped basil right at the end and stir through.
- Option to blend your tomato sauce in a blender here to make it smooth - I leave mine a little bit chunky!
- While your sauce is simmering, in a separate bowl you'll combine your ricotta cheese with grated parmesan, salt and pepper and stir well.
- Now it's time to assemble! Set our your ricotta cheese mix, pesto, sauce and pasta ready to prepare.
- In an oven proof dish, spoon about 50% of your sauce on the bottom.
- Next up, take one shell pasta at a time, spoon in about half a teaspoon of pesto first, then up to a teaspoon of the ricotta cheese mix. Once filled, place into the oven proof dish on top of your sauce. Continue until all shells are filled and snuggled amongst the sauce.
- Spoon over the remaining sauce then sprinkle on the mozzarella.
- Cook in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Add more fresh basil and parmesan to serve.
Notes
Calorie information provided is an estimate