Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Shells

Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 25 minutes. Start to Finish: 1 hour. Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 package jumbo pasta shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 slices smoked bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup bread crumbs

Medium container of Ricotta Cheese

ground black pepper to taste

4 cups pasta sauce

Rosemary and parsley for sprinkling

1 lb mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, and cool.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, onion, and garlic until bacon starts to crisp and onion and garlic have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

Mix the bread crumbs, ricotta cheese, parsley, and the bacon mixture in a large bowl; season with pepper to taste.

Pour the tomato puree into a large, shallow and large casserole dish;  sprinkle the parsley and rosemary over sauce and mix in  

Spoon the bacon and breadcrumb mixture equally into the pasta shells. Arrange the stuffed shells in the casserole dish. Coarsely chop the mozzarella and scatter over the pasta shells. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and sauce bubbles, about 30 minutes.