Sausage & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 200 g jumbo pasta shells (about 20), cooked
• 400 g pork sausages, casings removed
• 300 g ricotta
• 120 g baby spinach, wilted and squeezed
• 50 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 100 g mozzarella, grated (for topping)
• Black pepper

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. Keep the garlic moving for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
2. Stir in the tomato purée and let it darken for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes with a splash of water. 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.
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it generously; it should have a clear savoury edge. 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. 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.
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.