Description
Easy stuffed shells filled with a creamy cottage cheese and herb mixture, baked in marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella—perfect for beginner cooks.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 30 ounces whipped cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (about 8 to 10 leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread half of the marinara sauce on the bottom.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook until about 3 minutes shy of al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- In a large bowl, combine whipped cottage cheese, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Fill each pasta shell with the cheese mixture using a spoon or a piping bag for ease.
- Place filled shells into the prepared baking dish over the marinara sauce.
- Cover the shells with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the dish is hot and bubbly. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cook a few extra shells in case some tear during boiling.
- Use a plastic bag with the corner cut off as a makeshift piping bag.
- Dried herbs can substitute fresh—use about one-third of the amount.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for up to 4 days or can be frozen before baking.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 348 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1933 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 51 mg