Stuffed Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce

I was chilling with some buddies for the afternoon and we decided to make this dish. Luckily for me, my friends were able to finish it for me with some directions because I wasn't feeling too well. They did a great job and it tasted wonderful! This dish takes about an hour to make but the good news is you can prepare everything and put it all together than freeze the dish. Then bake it frozen and enjoy it as a quick dinner after a long day.

First make the Arrabiata Sauce:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 strips of bacon, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dry oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Now it's time to make the filling for the pasta and par-cook the noodles

Ingredients:
1 box of Manicotti noodles or some kind of large shell or any shape pasta that can be stuffed
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon red chili flake
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry thyme
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella, extra for sprinkling on top
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
Parmesan for sprinkling on top

1. Place a large pan of water onto the stove, cover and allow to come to a boil.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add a drizzle of olive oil and then add ground beef. Season with the first set of spices above. Stir and allow to brown for about 10 minutes. Then set aside and cool

3. While meat cooks, make the rest of the filling by combining the cheeses, egg, basil, and spices to a bowl. Stir well to combine. Once meat has cooled down a bit add meat to cheese mixture and mix well.

4. Once water is boiling drop in a few of the noodles. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes so there are flexible but not finished. Place them on a sheet pan covered with olive oil so noodles don't stick. Do this for the rest of the noodles

Putting it all together:

1. If making these now preheat oven to 400 degrees. You can put everything together and then cover the dish well and freeze. Then bake the frozen noodles at 400 degrees for an hour.

2. Take a glass or ceramic baking dish (13 x 9) and butter dish well so noodles don't stick later

3. Take a noodle and gently fill it with the cheese mixture. You can use a spoon, your hands, or put the filling in a plastic bag and cut off the corner so it's like a pastry bag. (make sure cut on bag is same size as noodle hole)

4. Place a small amount on bottom of casserole dish so it covers everywhere with a thin layer. Then place filled noodles on top in an even, single layer.

5. Once all the noodles are filled and in the dish, pour the rest of the sauce on top. Make sure to cover all the noodles with sauce or they will come out dry. Top with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese

6. Bake the whole thing for 20 minutes. Feel free to make garlic bread or some kind of meat or veggie dish to go along with this but the dish itself really is a meal all in one.