| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 50 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces (20 to 24) jumbo pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling and brushing
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat small-curd cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- Large pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup low-fat small-curd cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1 large egg, lightly beatenMake the stuffed shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until slightly softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with olive oil and toss; set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 more minutes. Add the spinach and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Finely chop the spinach-mushroom mixture and combine in a bowl with the cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, then rinse out the can with 1 cup water and add to the skillet; add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the skillet and rinse out the blender.
- Make the cheese sauce: Combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan and egg in the blender and puree until smooth.
- Brush a 9-by-13-inch flameproof baking dish with olive oil and pour in half of the tomato sauce. Add the stuffed shells, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes; uncover and continue baking until bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes. Turn on the broiler; drizzle the shells with the cheese sauce and broil, about 2 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 368 calorie |
| Total Fat | 17 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 80 milligrams |
| Sodium | 884 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 35 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 grams |
| Protein | 20 grams |
Reviews
Making it now. Review to come. Just wanted to comment on the cottage cheese. My husband is lactose intolerant so I can’t use ricotta. I put lactose free cottage cheese it a strainer to remove the excess liquid ( overnight if I have time and think ahead) then process it in my mini food processor. Viola! Ricotta cheese that my husband can eat. Great for lasagna too!
Amazing! Added a little kick with some spices, and wha la! A satiating meat free meal. Thank you.
Everybody: Note the typo in the first line of the Directions. That beaten egg is supposed to be the last ingredient in the For The Sauces column! There are two eggs in this recipe, not one. Step 1 in the Directions starts with: Make the stuffed shells.
This recipe is not difficult, but it takes all afternoon. And I had so much extra filling that I stuffed 36 jumbo shells. My advice is to go lighter on the spinach. I’ll be eating these leftovers for days!
This recipe is not difficult, but it takes all afternoon. And I had so much extra filling that I stuffed 36 jumbo shells. My advice is to go lighter on the spinach. I’ll be eating these leftovers for days!
Made this before and loved it! Amy issue with prepping them a day ahead of baking?
We used ricotta instead of cottage cheese.added a bit of Italian spice blend. All enjoyed it and will make this again
Working to add non-meat meals into my repertoire. This is a keeper! Not a weeknight quickie, but is true to a 2 hour effort. I was able to clean up once it went in the oven. FN needs to review the recipe as it refers to eggs in three places but only lists one in the ingredients. Cottage cheese is fine in this, ricotta would be better. I used 1/4 cup of heavy cream in the cheese sauce instead of the egg, and added parsley. Also added oregano and some brown sugar to the red sauce.
I am making this casserole to bring to a family. They will cook it in a couple of days. How best to handle the cheese sauce at the end?
It was good but I would never use cottage cheese. It has to be ricotta and I don’t rinse my pasta! I place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet pan until cool. You want all that starch so the sauce sticks to your pasta
Too many ingredient. I like it short quick and to the point.
Good for lunch leftovers that next day,