STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND COTTAGE CHEESE

Stuffed Shells with Spinach, Ricotta, and Cottage Cheese image

This is one recipe that my family never gets tired off. Works great all the time! I like to serve this with toasted Italian bread and salad. Leftovers can be used for lunch.

Provided by basementbakery

Time 1h25m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

1 pound jumbo pasta shells
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons water
1 pound cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped onion
1 egg
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 cups pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 8 minutes; do not overcook. Drain and rinse shells with cold water.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add water. Heat in the microwave for 4 minutes. Stir and allow to cool. Squeeze spinach dry and transfer to a large bowl.
Add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, garlic, oregano, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the spinach and mix well.
Pour and spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Fill each cooked pasta shell with spinach mixture and arrange, filled-side up, in the baking dish, keeping 1/2 inch between shells. Carefully pour remaining sauce on top of shells and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 512 calories, Carbohydrate 68 g, Cholesterol 56.5 mg, Fat 13.9 g, Fiber 7.4 g, Protein 28.6 g, SaturatedFat 6.7 g, Sodium 1016.6 mg, Sugar 14 g