Vegetable - Filled Shells with Tomato sauce
8 oz. zucchini, shredded
1 tsp salt
18 large seashell shaped pasta
2 TBSP butter
2 cups chopped ( 1/ 4 inch pieces) broccoli
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups Quick Chunky Tomato sauce ( recipe to follow)

1. Toss the zucchini with the salt, transfer to a colander set over a bowl.. Place a saucer on top of the zucchini and weight with something heavy. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water, drain and squeeze dry. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

2. Cook the pasta shells in plenty of boiling salted water until barely cooked, about 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cool water and let stand until ready to use.

3. Melt butter in a medium skillet, add the zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, carrot and scallions. Saute until vegetables are crisp - tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, egg, basil and parmesan cheese. Add the vegetables and stir to blend.

4. Heat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Drain the shells, carefully invert on paper towels to blot dry. Fill the shells with the stuffing mixture, distributing evenly. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle some of the remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.

5. Serve the stuffed shells with some of the tomato sauce spooned over each serving.

Quick Chunky Tomato sauce

2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 can ( 1 pound 12 ounces whole Italian style plum tomatoes with juices
1 TBSP thin julienne strips of fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried.
1 TBSP torn fresh basil leaves
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in medium skillet, stir in onion. Saute over low heat until tender, about 5 mins. Stir in garlic and saute 1 min. Add tomatoes cook over medium heat stirring and breaking up tomatoes with the side of a spoon until boiling. Simmer sauce, uncovered until slightly thickened, about 15 mins. Stir in basil, salt and pepper.

I hope you and your family will enjoy this recipe as much as we do. It is very yummy.
Love Deb