Lobster Manicotti Fra Diavolo

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 can (28 ounces) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

7 ounces cooked lobster meat, drained, patted dry and roughly chopped (about 1 mounded cup)

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish

1 box (8 ounces) wide lasagna noodle sheets (10 sheets)

Grated romano cheese (optional)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook until tender and beginning to brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer half of the onions to a medium bowl. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic to the saucepan and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add the lobster, ricotta and basil to the bowl of onion. Stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Spread ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking dish.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions, then drain well. Working quickly and carefully with one sheet of pasta at a time, lay a pasta sheet flat in front of you. Spoon ¼ cup of the lobster-ricotta filling across the bottom edge of the pasta sheet. Roll the pasta away from you, forming a tube around the filling. Lay the rolled and filled pasta (manicotti) on the sauce in the baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining pasta sheets, filling and lining the manicotti in a row in the prepared pan. Spoon the remaining sauce over the tops of the manicotti. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and browning around the edges. Serve topped with basil and grated romano, if desired.

Serves five.

Nutrition values per serving: 410 calories; 120 calories from fat (29 percent of total calories); 13 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 trans); 85 mg cholesterol; 53 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 22 g protein; 730 mg sodium.

The Associated Press