Pepperoni Pasta Bake

I love creamy cheesy pasta dishes, so even though I knew I wouldn't get to eat this recipe from Everday Foods magazine, since I've never seen jumbo gluten-free pasta shells, I still wanted to make it! Unfortunately the rest of my family doesn't love those types of pasta dishes quite as much as me. They liked these for the most part, but I know I would have appreciated them much more! I tried a little bite of the filling and I do think I would some salt next time. I also loved that I was able to get some extra veggies in the meal with the addition of zucchini to the cheesy filling.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
1 1/4 cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/3 c chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
1 large egg, beaten
coarse salt and pepper
3 cups marinara, divided
28 jumbo pasta shells (7 oz), cooked according to package instructions
26 small pepperoni slices (2 oz)
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, zucchini, basil, and egg; season with 1/2 t each salt and pepper.
Spread 1 cup marinara in a 9x13 inch broiler proof baking dish.
Fill each shell with 1 heaping Tablespoon ricotta mixture and arrange in an even layer in dish.
Top with remaining 2 cups marinara, then pepperoni and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Heat broiler, remove foil, and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Top with additional basil and serve.

Serves 4: 694 cal; 28g fat; 39g protein; 72g carb; 3 g fiber