Ingredients

• 15 Nos. Lumaconi shells
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 1 cup passata or 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 3 flakes garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried basil or use fresh basil chopped, if desired
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese, or as required
• 1 cup stock (made with 2 stock cubes)
• Salt
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1. Add the oil to a pan, add the garlic and place the pan on heat.
2. Add onion and sweat on low heat.
3. While the onion is cooking, boil the lumaconi in salted water for 10 mins, drain and set aside.  Do not overboil as they tend to split.
4. When the oinion is soft and translucent add the passata or chopped fresh tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes turn to a paste.
5. Add the basil and sun-dried tomatoes and stir.
6. Add the stock and let it simmer till oil surfaces. Remove from heat.
7. If using fresh tomatoes, you may puree the sauce at this stage.
8. Pour 1/2 the sauce or more if required into a oven-proof dish and spread evenly.
9. Cool the remaining sauce.
10. Reserve some sauce for pouring on top of the shells and fold the remaining sauce into the ricotta cheese.
11. Fill the lumaconi shells with the ricotta sauce mixture.
12. Spread the reserved sauce and the remaining ricotta mixture if any, over the pasta.
13. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 mins at 200 deg till the sauce is bubbly.
14. Serve hot with garlic bread and a green salad.

P.S.:  Ricotta can be replaced with crumbled paneer although the texture of ricotta (that I     used) was soft and creamy.

For non-veg version, add bacon to the filling.  Chop bacon and add to the onion at step two.