Cottage Shells N Spinach Recipes

SPINACH AND COTTAGE CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS (NO RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine ingredients "cottage cheese" through "egg".
• Pour half of the sauce in a 9x13 pan (I never measure the sauce, I just pour it from the jar). Fill the shells full with the cheese mixture, and place them into the pan with the sauce.
• Drizzle the remaining sauce lightly over the top of the shells (or spoon sauce from the jar over the shells, like I do). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH + COTTAGE CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS ARE HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS

Steps:

• For the sauce, in a large saucepan, cook the onion and grated carrot in the olive oil over medium-low heat until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes; do not let brown
• Add the garlic and Italian herbs and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more
• Turn up the heat to high, add the crushed tomatoes, and stir with a wooden spoon
• Once the mixture starts to boil, add the tomato sauce and stock, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer again
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the shells according to package directions and remove 1 minute before the suggested cooking time
• Rinse, then place in cold water to prevent sticking
• For the filling, pulse the cottage cheese in a food processor until the large curds are broken down into smaller ricotta-like curds, about 5 pulses
• (Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula between pulses
• ) Scrape the cottage cheese into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining filling ingredients
• Spoon the filling into a resealable plastic bag, and cut a 1-inch tip open in the corner
• (Refrigerate if waiting before stuffing shells
• ) Preheat oven to 350°F
• Spray a 2½-quart baking dish with nonstick spray
• Spread ½ cup sauce on the bottom of the pan; add 2 tablespoons water if needed to spread the sauce
• Pipe filling into each shell and arrange the filled shells in the pan
• Once shells are filled, pour the remaining sauce on top of the shells, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
• Uncover the pan, top with parmesan cheese, if using, and bake for an additional 15 minutes
• Let cool for a few minutes before topping with basil and serving

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS WITH GROUND BEEF AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season liberally with salt. It should be as salty as the sea.
• Heat a large skillet with high sides to a medium-low heat. Add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add 1/4 cup of the onion and half of the garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Add in red wine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half.
• Whisk in tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In another medium non-stick skillet. Cook the ground beef until slightly browned and almost all the way cooked through. If any excess grease is produced, drain. Add remaining onion, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook until beef is cooked all the way through and onion and garlic are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• Drop the pasta shells in the water and cook until aldente.(I like to cook them all even though we only use 12 becaue some will bread.) DO NOT OVER COOK. Use a slotted spoon to pull the shells out one by one. Drain of any excess water and let cool.
• Once the beef has cooled slightly, add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg. Mix to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I added an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt, but I like things on the saltier side.)
• Transfer filling to a large ziplock bag. Cut off about 3/4-inch of the tip. Pipe the filling into the cooled shells. Turn the heat off on the sauce and arrange shells in the pan. (If you're using store-bought marinara, just pour the marinara into a skillet with high sides and arrange the stuffed shells in the pan.)
• Spoon a little bit of the sauce on top of the shells, but don't completely cover them. Sprinkle shells with mozzarella. Bake until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbly and hot, about 20 minutes. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese.

COTTAGE SHELLS 'N SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook macaroni as directed on package; drain.
• Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.
• Add macaroni; toss lightly.

STUFFED SHELLS FILLED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Fill a bowl with ice water. Blanch the spinach for no more than 20 seconds, just until wilted, and transfer to the ice water, then drain. Squeeze out excess water. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the pasta shells. Cook al dente, about 10 minutes, and drain and toss with the olive oil. Set aside.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the spinach and pulse to chop finely. Add the ricotta and the egg and process until well blended. Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until well blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a large baking dish or two 2-quart dishes. The shells should fit into the dish in one layer. Fill each shell with a scant tablespoon of the filling. Arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with the tomato sauce and cover the dish with foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan, and serve.