Divine Cheese Filled Pasta Shells With Tomato & Basil
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
- 500g/1.1lbs. bag Lumache Giganti pasta
- 220g/7.7ozs baby Bocconcini
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1 quantity tomato pasta sauce recipe below*
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
- 100g/3.5ozs. cherry tomatoes, halved
- Basil to serve
- Olive oil to drizzle
Step 1 - Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water until al dente (you may have to do this in two lots unless you have a very large pot). Drain carefully and do not overcook as you want them to hold their shape.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Spread two or three ladles of the tomato pasta sauce below on the base of a large baking dish. Drain the bocconcini and mix with the pesto. Place the shells open side up and pop a pesto covered bocconcini in each one. Snuggle them tight and then distribute the extra bocconcini if you have them among the shells.
Step 3 - Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes over the pasta. Mix the rest of the tomato sauce with the cheese and spoon over the shells getting the sauce in the shells as well as on top. Bake for 20 minutes.
Tomato Pasta sauce
This is a wonderfully versatile sauce. I usually make double this quantity and use it for lots of dishes but you will need the quantity made below for this recipe.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
- 700g/24.8ozs tomato passata
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- 100g/3.5ozs. semi dried or sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons cream (optional, I didn't use it for this as I wanted the red to be as bright as possible)
- 1 teaspoon or so of salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar or so to taste
Step 1 - Place all ingredients in a large pot (I empty the passata into a pot and then swish around the red wine in the mostly empty passata bottle to get every bit out, does anyone else do that?) and cover and bring to the boil. Knock back heat a little and allow to simmer without the lid for 40 minutes or until thicker.