Stuffed Shells

Oh how I love stuffed shells! This is by far my favorite way to make them. Sometimes I leave out the sausage or use ground beef or turkey instead...whatever's on hand!


Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
12 oz. box of jumbo shells
1/2 lb. ground sausage
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c. grated parmesan cheese divided
1 egg
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
26 oz. jar pasta sauce

Directions:
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once boiling add the shells and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, brown the sausage and drain off any grease. In a large bowl combine the sausage, ricotta, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, egg, and all seasonings. Place 1/3 of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Once the shells are done boiling, strain and lay out to cool for a couple minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Spoon the cheese and sausage mixture into the shells and place in the pan on top of the sauce. Once all the shells are filled and in the pan, top with remaining sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until cheese begins to brown. Makes 24 shells