Stuffed Pasta Shells

This is feel-good food at its easiest. Stuffed pasta shells make a delicious midweek dinner or part of a family style meal with other courses. Serve with a crisp green salad and rustic bread to mop up the sauce.

Ingredients
360g jumbo pasta shells, defrosted
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
3 cups ricotta
1 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups passata or tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water for nine minutes. Drain and spread them on a clean towel to dry.

3. Squeeze out most of the liquid from the spinach. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with one cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the eggs, the spinach, the chopped basil, and the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

4. In a lasagne or large baking tray, spread 1½ cups of tomato sauce.

5. Using a piping bag or plastic bag with one corner cut off, pipe the ricotta mixture in each shell and place the shells, open side up, on the tomato sauce. Fit them snugly against each other.

6. Cover the shells with the remaining 1½ cups of sauce, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes more. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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