Recipes Discovered – Recipes

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces small pasta (shells, elbow, ect)
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small to medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
• 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The pasta will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.

Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Add the garlic to the oil. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Drain pasta and add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Scatter mozzarella over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.