Cottage Shells And 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 STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch dish with cooking spray. Pour half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish. Save the rest of the sauce for later.
• Prepare pasta according to package instructions; drain and rinse under cold water.
• Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl.
• Add ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg, if desired. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture.
• Arrange stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, open side up. Pour remaining half of the marinara sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of mozzarella.
• Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil cover during the final 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to get a little bit crispy on top.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 8 minutes; do not overcook. Drain and rinse shells with cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add water. Heat in the microwave for 4 minutes. Stir and allow to cool. Squeeze spinach dry and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, garlic, oregano, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the spinach and mix well.
• Pour and spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Fill each cooked pasta shell with spinach mixture and arrange, filled-side up, in the baking dish, keeping 1/2 inch between shells. Carefully pour remaining sauce on top of shells and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

STUFFED SHELLS (WITH SPINACH AND CHEESE)

Steps:

• In a skillet, cook onion until tender.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• Stir in the spinach, cream cheese, and egg.
• Add 1 cup mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, parmesan, salt, pepper, and cinnamon if desired; mix well.
• Stuff shells and arrange in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish.
• Combine sauce ingredients; mix well.
• Pour over shells.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
• Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

CHEESY SPINACH-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente. Drain; rinse with cold water., Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir until vegetables are tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; cool slightly., In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta cheese, spinach, basil and pepper. Stir in olives, mushroom mixture and 3/4 cup each cheese blend and mozzarella cheese., Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Fill pasta shells with cheese mixture; place in baking dish, overlapping ends slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over top., Bake, covered, until heated through, 40-45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with additional basil.

COTTAGE SHELLS 'N SPINACH

Steps:

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

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