STUFFED SHELLS WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE

By Silvermama

This sauce is very versatile and an easy way to get extra vegetables in your diet. You can serve it directly over any cooked pasta. I've also used it as a pizza sauce. The amount of garlic called for may be a bit much; just reduce. It depends on how many vampires you're trying to ward off.

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 8 plum tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled, finely diced (about 6 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 Tbs chopped fresh garlic
• 8 oz mushroom, diced
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 (28-ounce) can Italian crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) box manicotti shells
• Filling
• 1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbs fresh chopped basil
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup capers (optional)
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

SAUCE:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large glass dish, lay tomatoes, sliced side up. Drizzle with 2 tbs olive oil and sprinkle with 1.5 Tbs garlic. Bake until tomatoes are browned on edges, approx 30 minutes. Set aside and cool. Once cooled, add tomatoes and accumulated juices to food processer and process until just slightly chunky. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over high heat, saute eggplant, and red pepper in 2 Tbs olive oil, stirring
occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft. Add onion, mushroom, garlic, salt and black pepper. Cook until onion is soft. Add dried basil, roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and sundried tomatoes to pan. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally. When cooled, layer half of the sauce in 13 X 9 (or larger) glass dish.


PASTA:
Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in large pot. Add pasta and boil for 5-10 minutes (or per package directions) until al dente.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

FILLING:
Combine all ingredients except sliced mozarella. Fill shells with mixture, adding each to top of the sauce in the casserole dish. Fill as many shells as will fit without crowding (any extra can be frozen wrapped tightly in foil and put into a freezer bag). Pour remaining sauce on top of the filled shells. Layer sliced mozzarella on top of the sauce. Lightly spray undersigned of a large piece of foil and lay loosely, so that foil is not touching mozarella, a crimp edges of dish with the foil. Bake at 400 for approx 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until mozarella is melted.