Instructions

• Your list of ingredients must contain the following items – 8 ounces jumbo shell macaroni, 8 ounces tiny shell macaroni, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese + 4 tablespoons for sprinkling on top of the dish, 8 ounces of Gruyere cheese, ½ cup of light cream, 1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes (optional), 1 teaspoon of white pepper powder, 2 cups of pasta sauce, a few sprigs of parsley and a few fresh basil leaves for garnishing.
• Preheat the oven to 180 C. First, cook the jumbo and tiny shells in water with a little salt added to it. Follow the instructions on the package if you have never cooked pasta before. Normally, pasta shells are cooked al dente. In this case, cook it for a few minutes less, since you will be combining the pasta shells and cheese and baking the dish towards the end.
• Once the jumbo and tiny shells are cooked, transfer them to a colander and allow the water to drain. Reserve for later. Next, begin working on the cheese mixture. Heat the Gruyere cheese, shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese in a saucepan. Ensure the cheese has melted and is of uniform consistency.
• Sprinkle the white pepper powder and dried chilli flakes (if you are using them) and stir the mixture. Stir in the light cream. Do not bring to boil. Merely heat the mixture on a low flame. Add the tiny pasta shells and mix well.
• Use a large rectangular baking dish to combine the pasta and the cheese mixture. Spread 1 cup of pasta sauce at the bottom of the dish. Using a small teaspoon, stuff the cheese mixture into the jumbo pasta shells. Arrange the stuffed jumbo shells in the baking dish, over the pasta sauce.
• Finally, evenly spread the remaining cup of pasta sauce on top of the stuffed jumbo shells. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the 4 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese on top and place it back inside the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes. After allowing a little standing time, remove the dish from the oven. Garnish with the fresh basil and parsley leaves. This dish tastes best when served piping hot.