Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

I've been wanting to make stuffed shells for awhile so when I was having friends over for dinner I figured this was a good recipe for a big group.  The best part is that you can make all the parts of the dish well in advance of dinner so you don't have to be at the stove when you have your friends over.  I served the stuffed shells with a homemade ceasar salad (recipe to come) and garlic bread.  It was a big hit and we had lots of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese

2 cups of mozzarella cheese

1 cup of shredded asiago cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

1-12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells

1-12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells

Preparation:

To a small sauce pot over moderate heat add oil, garlic and onions. Saute onions and garlic about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper.  Simmer sauce 5 minutes and stir in dried oregano and basil.  Simmer for an additional 20 minutes on low heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add pasta. Cook shells 12 to 15 minutes, they should be softened but still undercooked at the center. Drain pasta and cool.

Combine ricotta, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup of  grated parmesan and 1/2 cup of the asiago. Add egg and parsley to the cheeses and stir to combine.

Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a shallow medium sized casserole dish.

Fill shells with rounded spoonfuls of cheese mixture and arrange them seam side down in prepared casserole dish. Top shells with remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella and asiago cheese.  Cover casserole with foil and bake in oven for about 40 minutes.