Cheese-Stuffed Shells

ratherbeswimmin''s Note:

Rich and cheesy

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach , thawed and well drained
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese , softened
• 1 egg , beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese , divided
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 20 jumbo pasta shells , cooked and drained

Sauce

• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
• 1 ½ teaspoons parsley flakes
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage, and onion; drain.
2. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Stir in the spinach, cream cheese, and egg.
4. Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan, salt, and pepper; mix well.
5. Stuff shells and arrange in a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
6. Combine sauce ingredients; mix well.
7. Spoon over shells.
8. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
9. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
10. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Reviews

[ChipotleChick]

These are INCREDIBLE! I made them today for my sister's birthday. The best stuffed shells I have ever had! I did substitute the cheeses with lowfat varieties, used fat free cream cheese, and used lowfat ricotta instead of cottage cheese. Thanks for the great recipe!

[FruitLoop]

Nurse Di, this is another great one. I added 1 t. minced garlic to the filling. I really liked the meat, spinach, and cheese filling in the shells. The sauce was delicious and seasoned well. I served this with salad and garlic bread. A perfect meal. Our breath was kickin though. Oh well, can't have it all.

[Little Cheff]

I made the shells for my mom's birthday. The recipe was time consuming, but the end result was more than worth the time spent. It was hard for my family to believe that I made the recipe since it tasted so good. It did make 28 shells and was good with the shells frozen and then reheated later, since it made so many shells. I will make this again ASAP!