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Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells

Crafted with ease and taste in mind, this recipe is a great choice.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Sauce:
  • 1 (28-ounce) 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • ½ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1 teaspoon sugar
Pasta Shells:
  • 24 24 large pasta shells about 3/4 of a 12 ounce box
Filling:
  • 2 2 cups cottage cheese
  • 15 15 ounces (about 2 cups) part skim ricotta cheese
  • ½ ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • 10 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess liquid
  • ½ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. 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.
  6. 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).

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Serving Calories 469kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 54g (18%) Protein 33g (66%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 53mg (18%) Sodium 1153mg (48%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 13g (26%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 Serving
Calories 469kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 54g 18%
Protein 33g 66%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 53mg 18%
Sodium 1153mg 48%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 13g 26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.