Meatless Supper Club-Week One

Ok, so not a very healthy start, but a start nonetheless. I had some ricotta cheese I needed to use up, so that is my excuse. It was delicious! A variation of a Rachael Ray recipe.

Tomato, Basil and Cheese Baked Pasta

by Rachael Ray

1 pound small shell pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,

3 large cloves garlic
1/2 small to medium yellow onion

A handful of mushrooms (we added this ingredient-using up things in the fridge)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand ( I was out of crushed tomatoes so I just used a jar of spaghetti sauce)
1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces ( again, I was lazy and just used some dried italian seasoning from my brother-in-law's store, Mondo Food)
Salt and pepper
1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell 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.

Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
Add olive oil, garlic and onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.
Add the tomatoes (or spaghetti sauce) 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 shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. 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. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it 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 (we cooked the pasta on a low boiler temperature so the ricotta and pesto had time to heat up).

We served with this great homemade garlic bread recipe from Our Lincoln Log.