Ingredients:
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
water
14g olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
½ tsp salt
15g garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
454g ground meat (combination of beef, veal, pork)
227g medium pasta shells
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
45g grated Parmesan cheese
ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 tbsp dried basil
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1. Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over 50% heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir dried pasta in with meat. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover, reduce heat to 40% and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes.
4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt (more than you would think because noodles were not boiled in salt water) and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta, (sprinkle with dried basil), cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan (and fresh basil).
Notes:
Serves 6