Description
These Stuffed Pasta Shells are a delightful dish featuring creamy whipped cottage cheese, spinach, and marinara sauce. Perfect for a quick and satisfying home-cooked meal, this recipe is easy to prepare and sure to please everyone at the table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 24 oz whole milk cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (optional)
- 12 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 8 oz mozzarella, grated from block
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Cook the jumbo pasta shells in salted water until al dente, then drain and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until ready to stuff.
- In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, egg, cornstarch, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and optional lemon zest. Pulse until light and fluffy.
- Thaw the frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out excess water. Add it to the cottage cheese mixture along with parmesan and basil, then stir to combine.
- Spread half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the prepared dish. Generously fill each shell with the mixture and place them open-side up in the dish.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle with grated mozzarella.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. For a golden finish, broil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Notes
For extra flavor, consider adding Italian seasoning to the filling.
Use fresh spinach instead of frozen for a different texture and taste.
You can prepare the stuffed shells in advance and refrigerate them before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 shell
- Calories: 325
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 45mg