I don’t encounter stuffed shells in Italy much; stuffed paccheri (big and floppy rigatoni-lookalikes) are much more common there. But I have sold a lot of stuffed shells throughout my restaurant days. This is comfort food—pasta stuffed with milky ricotta and topped with oozing melted cheese, and just about everybody loves it. It is a common dish, present in many Italian American restaurant menus and households. It is also very convenient, because the oven does the work, and you can feed a large number of guests.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　

for the sauce

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

　　Two 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

　　1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　

for the shells and filling

Kosher salt

　　1 pound large shells

　　1 pound fresh ricotta, drained

　　8 ounces frozen peas, thawed

　　1 pound low-moisture mozzarella, 12 ounces cut into 1/4-inch cubes, 4 ounces shredded

　　2 cups grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

　　3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　1 large egg, beaten

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

　　

Step 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. While the sauce cooks, add the shells to the boiling pasta water and cook two-thirds of the recommended cooking time—shells should still be firm. Drain and set all the shells on sheet trays, set apart so they won’t stick to each other.

　　

Step 3

For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until the edges are golden, about 2 minutes, then pour in the tomatoes. Slosh out the tomato cans with 1 cup hot water each, and add that to the pot. Stir in the salt, oregano, and peperoncino, and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 4

For the filling: Stir together the ricotta, peas, cubed mozzarella, 1 cup of the grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, the parsley, and egg in a bowl. Mix the shredded mozzarella and remaining grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano in a bowl, and set aside.

　　

Step 5

Spread 2 cups of the sauce in a 15-by-10-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Stuff each shell with a tablespoon of the stuffing, and arrange in the baking dish. Divide any remaining stuffing between and around the stuffed shells. Top evenly with 2 cups more sauce, and sprinkle with the reserved grated-cheese mixture. Dollop the remaining sauce evenly over the top. Make a tent with foil over the baking dish. Bake, and after 25 minutes, check: the sauce should be bubbly all over. Remove foil, and bake until golden and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes more.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.