Cheesy Monster Eyes

Ingredients

• 18 jumbo pasta shells (from 1 2-oz package)
• 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 1 egg
• slightly beaten
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
• 14 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 14 teaspoon garlic powder
• 18 frozen cooked italian-style meatballs (from 16-oz bag)
• 4 pitted ripe olives
• sliced (4-6)
• red bell pepper
• if desired
• lettuce
• if desired
• sugar snap pea
• if desired
• green grape
• if desired
• green onion
• if desired

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F
2. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Cook pasta as directed on package; drain.
4. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
5. Meanwhile, reserve 1 tablespoon pasta sauce; pour remaining sauce into baking dish.
6. In medium bowl, mix egg, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, the basil and garlic powder.
7. Fill each cooked pasta shell with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture.
8. Arrange filled shells, cheese mixture up, in dish over sauce.
9. Press 1 meatball into cheese mixture in each shell to resemble eye.
10. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly.
11. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
12. Use drop of reserved pasta sauce to attach ripe olive slice to each meatball to resemble pupil of eye.
13. To create a face, arrange eyes on each plate with red pepper mouth, grape nose, lettuce and sugar snap peas eyebrows and green onion hair.
14. Makes: 6 servings (3 shells each).
15. Kitchen Tip:.
16. One serving is three shells.
17. Make a face using two shells for eyes, and offer the additional shells during the meal.