Stuffed and baked ricotta shells

1 hour ■ Serves 2 ■ EASY

Buy giant shells in delis and supermarkets, or online at luigismailorder.com They make a good alternative to stuffed cannelloni and look stylish in the dish.

olive oil
qarllc 2 cloves, crushed
chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin
giant pasta shells 20 (about 200g)
courgettes 500g, topped, tailed and grated
lemon 1/2 zested
ricotta lOOg
parmesan 50g, grated

■ Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add half the garlic, cook for a minute then add tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
■ Cook the giant shells until almost tender. You want to slightly undercook them as you'll be baking them again later. Drain, rinse under cold water then drain completely.
■ Heat another tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, add the rest of the garlic and the courgettes. It looks like a huge amount of courgette at the start, but it really wilts down. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the courgettes have reduced and all the liquid has cooked off. Cool then stir in the ricotta and zest and half the parmesan. Season well.
■ Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Spoon the tomato sauce into the bottom of a shallow ovenproof baking dish. Stuff a spoonful of courgette mix into each shell then sit in the sauce in rows. Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Stuffed and baked ricotta shells