“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
Clemenza 
The Godfather

Temporarily handicapped or not, one must eat and while I am taking pantry shortcuts here and there I find that allowing myself additional time and plenty of it I can cook close to normal for me.  However in an effort to use a container of ricotta before the expiration date which for some reason is always right on compared to other dated product I found myself a tad overwhelmed losing the salad prep time.  Dinner was great with just the shells and “Jake’s” garlic bread and I have a full large pan of stuffed shells for another night, yes and I will make the salad early.  

Have your favorite tomato sauce, homemade or a brand that you like warmed, spoon 1/2 cup into a large baking dish, save another 1/2 – 3/4 cup to top the shells with

For the ricotta filling I chopped several fresh basil and mint leaves, about 8 medium large mint and 10 or so basil leaves adding a few more to garnish the finished shells.   Blend 1-2 pound container of whole milk ricotta cheese seasoned with a little salt and pepper, 1 – 8 ounce ball of burrata cheese, rough chopped, and about 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and thoroughly blend…stuff al dente cooked jumbo shells (1 box) one at a time with about 1 rounded kitchen teaspoon and place into a large baking dish.  When the pan is full spread additional sauce over shells and add more grated parm and a little grated mozzarella, cover and bake for 20-25 minutes, uncover and bake another 10 minutes.  Sever with any remaining warm sauce…

If you have extra ricotta blend, save and use for another dish, coming soon…