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Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Pasta Shells:

  • 24 large pasta shells, about 3/4 of a 12 ounce box

Filling:

  • 2 cups cottage cheese
  • 15 ounces (about 2 cups) part skim ricotta cheese
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess liquid
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions 

  • For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • While the sauce simmers, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta shells al dente according to package directions. Drain and immediately place them in an even layer on paper towels or parchment.
  • For the filling, in a medium bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano and basil. Add the spinach and mix until combined. Stir in the cheeses.
  • Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Spoon about half of the sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan and spread evenly. Fill each pasta shell with an even amount of the filling (about 1/4 cup per shell, more or less) and place the shells on top of the sauce in the pan - making three rows of eight shells.
  • Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the shells. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and bake five or so more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the shells sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Quantity: if you want to use the entire box of shells (there are usually about 32 shells total in a 12 ounce box), prepare an 8X8-inch pan in addition to the 9X13-inch pan and consider increasing the filling and sauce by half.
Liquid: also, make sure to squeeze as much liquid out of that spinach as possible so the shells don't have excess liquid (letting the sit for a few minutes after baking will help that, too).
Cheese: if you'd like to reserve some of the cheese (or shred extra) for sprinkling on top of the shells and sauce before baking, feel free!
Freezer Meal: finally, this makes a great freezer meal. Before baking the shells, after they have been fully assembled and covered in sauce, cover the dish with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze. I usually bake from frozen, adding an hour onto the baking time and uncovering for 15-30 minutes instead of just a couple of minutes (so it would be about an hour and a half covered and then 15-30 minutes uncovered).