Kid-Friendly Tomato Sauce and Spicy Sausage-Stuffed Shells

Courtesy of The Naptime Chef Kelsey Banfield

Kid-Friendly Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 28oz.    cans crushed tomatoesOli
- Salt & Pepper
- Oilve Oil


 Directions
1. Heat oil in a heavy, deep pan. (I usually use my dutch oven.)
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft. About 10 minutes.
3. Add carrots and peppers, cook until soft. About 10 minutes.
4. Add canned tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
5. While the sauce is simmering taste it from time to time, adding salt and pepper if necessary.
6. When the sauce is thickened remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.
7. Pour the cooled sauce into a food processor and blend until totally smooth.
8. Pour into individual baggies, or however you want to divide up the individual portions, and freeze.
9. Thaw portions individually as needed.


Spicy Sausage-Stuffed Shells
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Naptime Stopwatch: 25 minutes prep time, 35 minutes bake time

Stuffed shells are often viewed as kids’ food but I beg to differ. I like to stuff them with a hearty scoop of sausage and fresh cheese and then cover them with a rich homemade sauce. I assemble the whole dish during the day and then bake it when we’re ready to eat. Jumbo size shells can vary depending on the brand of pasta; the shells I buy are about 3 inches long. If you buy bigger shells adjust the proportions by stuffing fewer shells with more of the filling and nestle them in the same size baking dish as instructed below.

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Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo-sized shells (about 25 shells)
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with juices
- 1 cup (8 ounces) fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) full-fat cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup (5 ounces) shredded mozzarella
- 2/3 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/4 cup dry red wine

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.


2. Cook the pasta shells according to package instructions, drain well, and set aside.


3. In a large saucepan, warm 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 of the minced garlic cloves and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Carefully add the tomatoes and sauté them over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.


4. While the sauce is simmering, mix together the ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper and salt in a large bowl and set aside.


5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the sausage, and the remaining garlic and sauté until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. As the sausage cooks, break up any large chunks of meat with a wooden spoon. Add the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and allow the mixture to simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Carefully pour add three-quarters of the tomato sauce to the sausage, reserving the rest, and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Once the mixture has thickened slightly, remove the pan from the heat.


6. Spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. To prepare the shells, use a wide spoon to scoop about 1 tablespoon of the sausage sauce and 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange the shells snugly in the baking dish, seam-side down.


7. When all the shells are filled, pour the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the shells so that they are completely covered and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan.


8. Bake the shells for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and bubbly. If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil.


Make-Ahead Tips: Assemble the whole dish at naptime and chill, covered, before baking, or save time by assembling the sausage sauce in advance.

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