Sausage & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 200g jumbo pasta shells (about 20), cooked
• 400g pork sausages, casings removed
• 300g ricotta
• 120g baby spinach, wilted and squeezed
• 50g Parmesan, finely grated
• 100g mozzarella, grated (for topping)
• 10g fresh basil, torn (to finish)
• Buttered greens or peas, to serve
• ciabatta, to serve
• crisp green salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and sweat the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, about 6–8 minutes — you want no colour, just sweetness. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, 30 seconds, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole sauce bitter, so watch it.
2. Stir in the tomato purée and let it darken for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes with a splash of water to swill the tin — the liquid breaks the tomatoes down so they taste of summer fruit, not tin. Add the oregano, sugar and a teaspoon of sea salt. Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes until reduced and clinging to the back of a spoon. Taste, season with black pepper, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it generously — it should taste like the sea. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. Cook the jumbo shells following pack instructions but pull them 1–2 minutes before al dente — they finish cooking in the oven and turn to mush if you take them all the way now. Drain and lay out on a tray so they don't stick together.
4. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings and brown in a dry pan over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces. Do this in two batches — all at once and the pan crowds, water comes out, and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. You're after deep caramelised edges and crisp little nuggets, about 6–8 minutes per batch. Tip onto a plate and let it cool for a few minutes.
5. Combine the cooled sausage with the ricotta, wilted spinach (squeezed properly dry — wet spinach makes the filling weep) and half the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and taste a spoonful — it should be creamy with meaty pockets and properly seasoned.
6. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the base of a baking dish. Spoon the sausage-ricotta mixture into each shell and arrange them snugly in the dish, open side up. Pour over the remaining sauce, then scatter with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
7. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is blistered and golden and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes — the filling needs to settle or it slides out the moment you serve.
8. Plate the shells with plenty of sauce spooned over, scatter generously with torn basil, and bring the ciabatta and crisp green salad to the table alongside.