Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce

Our friends Ben and Jess came over for dinner last night. I wanted to make something that I knew everyone liked, and how could I go wrong with pasta and cheese? This recipe is so great and very easy to make:

Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
12 ounces (1 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 36 shells)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking sheet
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, diced
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups marinara sauce
2 (15-ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Lightly oil a 12 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Lightly oil the baking sheet and set aside.


2. Partially cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still quite firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. You will continue cooking the shells in the oven after they have been stuffed. Using a slotted spoon, drain pasta shells and place on oiled baking sheet, spreading them out so that they don't stick together and allow to cool.


3. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.


4. In a medium bowl, stir the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolks, basil, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside.


5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


6. Spoon 1 1/4 cups of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Arrange the shells in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the mozzarella.


7. Bake in the lower third of your oven until the filling is heated through and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

I omitted the pancetta (it's expensive and very hard to find) and mint (I wasn't sure if everyone liked it) and the recipe still turned out great. You could also use dried parsley and basil (instead of fresh spices) if you need to. Next time, I'll probably add some chopped spinach to the cheese mixture. A 9x13 baking dish didn't have enough room to fit all of the shells so I used an 8x8 baking dish in addition to the 9x13 dish.

This recipe is fabulous and very easy. Give it a try and let me know what you think :)