Stuffed Shells

This is a tasty recipe, especially if you take the time to make your own sauce. (Sometimes I cheat and use bottled - not as good.) I choose to omit the sausage and go meatless. The first time I took this to a church supper, I was asked for the recipe. Cook time includes time to cook sauce and bake in oven.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Sauce

• 2  onions, chopped
• 1  green pepper, chopped
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 1⁄2 lb mushroom, chopped
• 2 (29 ounce) cans tomato puree
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1  cup water
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons basil
• 2  teaspoons oregano
• 1  lb hot Italian sausage
• 1  box jumbo pasta shells

• Filling

• 12  ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
• 2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
• 4  eggs
• 6  tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons parsley
• 2  tablespoons chives
•  onion salt or  salt
•  pepper
•  romano cheese, grated

Directions

1. Sauce: Saute onions, pepper, and garlic in oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes more.
3. Stir in tomato puree, paste, water and spices.
4. Cook and crumble sausage in a separate pan; drain off fat.
5. Add to sauce and simmer about 3 hours; add more water if sauce gets too thick.
6. Shortly before assemblage, cook shells according to directions; drain.
7. Filling and Assembly: Combine all ingredients except Romano cheese; spoon into shells (If mixture is too thin, add more Parmesan).
8. Spoon some sauce into bottom of a 9x13-inch pan.
9. Lay stuffed shells in pan.
10. Pour on additional sauce.
11. Sprinkle with Romano.
12. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.