Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells according to the package directions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water. Drain the shells and give them a toss or spray with olive oil, just so they don’t fully stick together.

While the pasta is boiling, make the vodka sauce. Heat the butter in an oven-safe saucepan, dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the shallots and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Add the pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until the onions soften. Add in the tomato paste and stir, cooking for 5 minutes. The color will darken - this is where the flavor is!

Stream in the vodka and stir, scraping the brown bits and flavor from the bottom. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add another ½ cup of reserved water. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan, stirring until the cheese melts. Taste and season the sauce with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.

Gently add the jumbo shells into the vodka sauce. You don’t want them to break, and you want them to be fully coated with the sauce too. Once the shells are in the sauce, dollop the ricotta all over the shells.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the ricotta is creamy and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and top with parmesan, crushed red pepper and tons of fresh basil. Serve!