Feeling cozy with Nona's Baked Shells

I'm feeling the need for a cozy casserole dinner tonight - the weather is rainy and dark, which always makes me crave something warm and comforting.  There's no worry about my oven over-heating the house, like there is in summer.  It's just a matter of finding something delicious and not too difficult or time consuming.  That way, instead of spending most of my son's nap time cooking, I can enjoy some time curled up on the couch with a good book or watch some TV.

I'm always looking for fun and interesting casserole recipes that are a little different and more exciting than my old favourites lasagna or homemade mac n' cheese which I find myself making time and again.  So, when I came across Lidia Bastianich's recipe for baked shells, I had to give it a try.  I love Lydia Bastianich, she is the quintessential authority on Italian home cooking (when ever you have an Italian cooking question; Lidia Bastianich's cook books are always the answer...).  As well, if I were Italian, I would imagine my Nona making this for me, which makes me feel that much more cozy and content.  

Over the many times I've made this recipe, it's changed and become my version of Lidia's recipe.  My way starts with making a really top notch marinara sauce from canned tomato sauce, flavoured with shallots, garlic and herbs.  It continues by making the ricotta filling while the red sauce simmers away, then stuffing par-boiled pasta shells with the filling, pouring over some of the sauce and topping with a little mozzarella.  The whole thing is then finished off in the oven until the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Check out my version of Lidia Bastianich's recipe below: 

Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic finely grated or minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Fresh oregano, thyme and rosemary finely chopped (or use dried herbs like Italian seasoning)
1 498ml or 16oz can of tomato sauce
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot or small onion peeled and cut in half
1 tablespoon of cold unsalted butter

Filling:
1 450g container of ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)
1 cup of mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1/2 cup of frozen peas
Large pinch of salt and pepper
1 pound of large pasta shells

Topping:
1 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Chopped parsley for garnish.

For the sauce:
In a large skillet or medium sized pot, warm the olive oil over medium low heat.  Add the garlic and allow to cook until slightly softened, don't leave it alone for long or risk it burning.  Then add the red pepper flakes and herbs and continue to cook for a minute to release some flavour of the herbs.  Pour in the tomato sauce and stir well to help the olive oil emulsify into the sauce.  Now add the halved shallot or onion (whole not chopped so it's easy to remove later), a pinch of sugar which will balance out the acidity of the tomato sauce, and let the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring every so often.  Now is a good time to put a large pot of water on to boil while the sauce simmers away and you continue on with the filling.  Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta shells and cook for roughly half the time indicated on the pasta box.  Since the pasta will continue to cook in the oven, you don't want to over cook the pasta now.  Remove the shallot or onion with a pair of tongs just before assembling the casserole.  Add the tablespoon of butter to the sauce and stir until it's melted - which will slightly thicken it, helps the flavours come together and counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes.

For the filling:
In a medium sized bowl; mix together the ricotta cheese, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese and beat well until everything is combined. Then mix in the cubed mozzarella cheese, frozen peas and add a large pinch of salt and pepper.  Make sure to season the filling generously as I find ricotta cheese tends to taste quite bland without a good amount of salt and pepper.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Start filling the shells with the ricotta mixture by spooning it into the shells.  Place a layer of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole (I use a 1.5 quart Corning ware dish).  Place a layer of filled shells on top of the layer of sauce, then pour more of the sauce over the shells - continue like this until all the shells are filled and in the casserole dish.  Then top the whole thing with some mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbling.  Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.