Broccoli Ricotta Pasta Bake

Method

1. Preheat oven to 185°c.
2. Heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan.
3. Add garlic and a handful of large basil leaves and slowly simmer until garlic is very lightly golden.
4. Remove garlic and basil from oil, reserve.
5. Add onions to oil and sweat, still on low heat, until translucent.
6. Crush in tinned tomatoes by hand, then add sugar, chilli flakes (optional), a really good pinch of salt, a few fresh basil leaves, and the garlic and basil from earlier.
7. Cook on low for 45 minutes - 1 hour, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. It’s ready when the sauce has thickened, and tomatoes have begun to breadk down into the sauce.
8. For the broccoli filling, heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan.
9. Add garlic and sizzle until beginning to colour, then add broccoli and sauté until bright green (you don’t need to cook it well - it will cook further in the oven).
10. Transfer broccoli to a bowl and combine with ricotta, 100g Parmesan and lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper or chilli. For a really silky smooth stuffing, you can blend the ricotta using a blender, food processor or nutribullet before combining with the broccoli mix.
11. Cook pasta in salty water until very al dente (minus about 3 minutes from the packet instructions cooking time).
12. Spoon a thick layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
13. Spoon broccoli stuffing into each conchiglioni shell, then layer on top of tomato sauce.
14. Cover with more tomato sauce, then top with remaining Parmesan.
15. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the Parmesan is golden.