I love any combination that includes pasta and cheese. This recipe combines pasta shells with three types of cheese – cottage, mozzarella, and Parmesan – yum!
For this recipe, you will need one large (16 ounce) package of jumbo pasta shells, a large container of large curd cottage cheese (you will need 4 cups), 12 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, and one 26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce.
Cook the shells according to the back of the package. Once they are done, place them in cold water to stop them from cooking, and then drain the water off the pasta to keep it from getting soggy.
In a medium sized bowl, combine four cups of cottage cheese, 12 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, two lightly beaten eggs, and a pinch of garlic powder. In the palm of your hand, place 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of dried parsley. Rub the dried herbs together in the palm of your hand to crush them, and then place them in the cheese mixture. Stir well.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a 15 x 10 inch pan and place 1/3 of the jar of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of it. Take one pasta shell and stuff it full of the cheese mixture. Lay the shell in the pan and repeat until all shells are filled. Place the remaining spaghetti sauce on top of the shells. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese on top of the spaghetti sauce.
Bake the shells for 25 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let them stand 10 minutes before serving.
For great side dishes to this recipe, check out these blogs:
Tomato-Avacado Salad with Lime-Toasted Cumin-Cilantro Vinaigrette Dressing