Stuffed Shells

I combined several recipes and developed this crowd pleaser. Can serve a crowd, or serve some now and freeze some for later.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 64 shells

Ingredients

• 3  lbs Italian sausage (approximately 8 links hot and 8 links mild)
• 1  onion, finely diced
• 1  tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3  tablespoons dried parsley
• 3  eggs
• 16  ounces low fat cottage cheese
• 16  ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
• 8  ounces  shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3⁄4 cup  grated romano cheese or 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 (26 ounce) jar  spaghetti sauce
• 8  ounces half-and-half cream, optional

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells in boiling salted water for 12 minutes, drain and cover with cool water.
2. Remove sausage from casings.
3. Saute sausage until browned, crumbling well, drain fat.
4. Add onion and garlic to sausage, saute until soft.
5. Cool and reserve.
6. Combine parsely, eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheese in a large mixing bowl.
7. Stir in cooled sausage mixture.
8. Drain pasta shells.
9. Fill shells generously with sausage and cheese.
10. Lay filled shells in greased baking pans.
11. Combine spaghetti sauce and cream, if using.
12. Spoon sauce over shells.
13. Can be frozen at this point.
14. Bake covered, for 30 minutes at 350.
15. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes.
16. If baking from frozen add 15 minutes to first baking time.