Main dish: Sundried Tomato Basil & Cheese Stuffed Shells In Italian Sausage & Pepper Sauce

This dish was so flavorful with the sundried tomatoes and basil! I absolutely heart basil anyway and thought it would be a great addition to this yummy recipe. Now, it does take just a little time preparing due to filling the shells, but you could totally make this the night before or the day of and keep it in the fridge until about an hour before dinner and then just bake until bubbly! I also think that this dish would be VERY freezer friendly! Next time I am totally doubling the recipe and putting one in the freezer for a quick dinner or to take to a new Mom! This dish was also very kid friendly...my 3 yr old liked the fact that we were eating shells! Enjoy!

Sundried Tomato Basil & Cheese Stuffed Shells in Italian Sausage and Pepper Sauce

Adapted from http://www.cookinglight.com/

Shell Filling:

1/4 c boiling water
6 sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 Tbs chopped fresh Basil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
14 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Sauce:

1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 c chopped green bell pepper
1 c chopped red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
3/4 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage (casings removed if any)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Hehehe...here is my cute little helper! Sorry I forgot to include the garlic and egg in this pic!

1) Cook the shells half of the recommended time as listed on the product directions. This helps them keep form when filling and to not be too soft once they are baked. Preheat oven to 350°.

2) To prepare stuffing, combine 1/4 cup boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl; let stand 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften. Drain and finely chop. Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan, Ricotta, basil, salt, pepper & egg; mix very well until all ingredient are combined. Spoon 2 tablespoons stuffing into each shell. Set stuffed shells aside. (I like to put the filling in a zip lock bag and cut the corner so I can pipe the filling into the shells).

3) To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Place onion mixture in a bowl. Coat pan with cooking spray; return pan to heat. Add sausage, and cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in onion mixture, oregano, salt & pepper; bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. (I added about 1/2 c of water to thin out just a tad)

4) Spread 1 cups sauce over bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer in pan; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.