To die for, cheesey pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 pound small shell pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 1/2 small to medium yellow onion
- 3 chicken breast
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
- 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
Directions
In a large pot of water bring to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to it is a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.
Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Chop the onion by cuting the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. You want really small pieces of onion. Chop the chicken breats into little pieces.
Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, onion and chicken to the oil. Cook, stirring a lot, until the onions are mushy and the chicken looks cooked.
Once the garlic, onion and chicken is cooked add the tomatoes and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce to your taste.
Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheese. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Scatter the mozzerella over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.
Delicious! Simple and Easy!!!
