Stuffed Shells and Eggless Caesar Salad

Stuffed Shells

Sauce

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

4 yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and grated

10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

Salt

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 (28 ounce) cans of peeled, whole tomatoes with their juices

1 cup of fresh basil

Shells

2 cups of ricotta cheese

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

12 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt

Large pasta shells

1 cup of grated pecorino cheese

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

3 cups of tomato sauce

Eggless Caesar Salad

1 tbsp. & 2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, grated on microplane

1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Salt

1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. caper brine

2/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of canola oil

4 anchovy fillets & 2 tsp. of anchovy oil

3 heads of Romaine lettuce

Chunk of Parmesan cheese

1. Make Tomato Sauce: in a large skillet heat the olive oil and add onions, carrots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook until onions are translucent. Add sugar, oregano (I used Italian seasoning), and the tomatoes and their juices. Crush the tomatoes by hand before adding them to the pot! Cook for another 12-15 minutes and then add basil leaves. Makes about 5 cups of sauce. Keeps in the fridge for 5 days and freezes for 4 weeks. I used an immersion blender to make my sauce less chunky, but that was my preference!

2. Make Caesar Dressing: combine mustard, garlic, pepper and salt in a blender. Pour lemon juice and caper brine into the mix. Drizzle in olive oil followed by canola oil. Transfer the dressing to the bowl and add anchovies and anchovy oil (I couldn't find anchovies, so I used fish sauce). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Fry the Thyme: fry sprigs of thyme in oil for 2-3 minutes. Keep thyme on paper towel and add salt. Reserve remaining oil.

4. Boil Pasta: fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Make sure to salt your water. Boil large shells for 5-7 minutes, or until almost al dente. Drain the pasta and toss in the remaining thyme oil. Refrigerate on a sheet pan.

5. Make Filling: spread drained ricotta over the bottom and sides of a bowl. Season with salt, pecorino (I used extra parmesan), and nutmeg. Stem the fried thyme and add to the mix. Stir in egg and soy sauce. Transfer filling to a resealable bag and cut one corner.

6. Stuff and Bake: cover the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce. Stuff cooled pasta shells with ricotta filling. Cover the shells with tomato sauce and parmesan and bake in a 375*F oven for 15-18 minutes.

7. Make Salad: cut romaine lettuce and cover in parmesan cheese. Add dressing and bacon bits to complete caesar salad.

8. Make Garlic Bread: BECAUSE GARLIC BREAD + SAUCE = HEAVEN

I love Italian food. I think in a past life I was Italian, or maybe I will be Italian in this life. Who knows? This supper was delicious. I'll start with the sauce. I am pretty sure that you could put this sauce on anything and it would make that thing edible. Dipping the garlic bread in the sauce could quite possibly be the best part of this meal, but I am a carb-lover at heart. I have promised my mom that she will not have to buy tomato sauce anymore because I will continue to make this sauce for forever. Another thing my mom won't have to buy anymore? Caesar dressing. This caesar dressing left all of the yucky creamy guilt out of caesar dressing and amplified the yummy bright flavours x100. This was one of the freshest caesar salads I have ever had. It did not coat my throat and it did not make my insides feel like they were sticking together. All in all a win. The shells? Oh my goodness the shells. They were little pillows of heaven. I think that I undercooked my shells a little bit. I had over crowded my pot and I was also afraid of overcooking the pasta, but most eaters agreed that they would rather the pasta be toothsome rather than mushy.

Stuffed shells, caesar salad, and garlic bread was a no brainer for me. I was afraid that the caesar salad was going to be too rich paired with the ricotta filling, but the freshness of the caesar dressing was a pleasant surprise. Next time, I will obviously cook my pasta for maybe 2 more minutes. It would make the pasta even more enjoyable. Next time, I will also bake an entire baguette for myself to simply dip in the sauce. I could make a meal out of that alone.

So, here's to Italy and their beautiful food! We simply do not deserve them. Next up: Poached Eggs on Cheddar Biscuits. We are brunching friends! More yums to come xo