SPICY ZUCCHINI & RICOTTA PASTA SHELLS

SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS COOK 45 MINS

• 3 medium zucchini, grated

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 ¹⁄³ cups firm ricotta

• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

• ¹⁄³ cup pine nuts, toasted

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes

• 4 cups bottled tomato pasta sauce

• 250g large pasta shells

• ½ cup basil leaves 1 Preheat oven to 200°C.

Oil a shallow 2.5-litre (10-cup) ovenproof dish.

2 Combine zucchini, garlic, ricotta, ¾ cup parmesan, pine nuts, egg yolks, thyme and chilli in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3 Spread pasta sauce into dish. Spoon zucchini mixture into uncooked pasta shells, then place shells in dish.

4 Cover dish with foil and bake 30 mins. Remove foil, then bake a further 15 mins until pasta is tender and parmesan is browned lightly. Serve pasta sprinkled with remaining parmesan and basil leaves.