Stuffed Pasta Shells

Easy Stuffed Pasta Shell Dinner for 2

The Basic Ingredients:
14 large pasta shells
1/2 small container of cottage cheese
1/2 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 egg
Garlic and seasonings, to taste

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I'll be honest here.  I thought stuffed pasta shells were beyond my abilities.  Did I seriously think I could do it in an hour?  Well, turns out, it takes about an hour and ten minutes, which isn't bad when I'm craving Olive Garden but not willing to drive there and then pay the price...in dollars, time, fat, and calories.

So, my recipe is technically enough for 3 - 4 servings.  We each ate 4 - 5 shells for dinner and then I packed 4 shells for lunch...  The recipe is basically taking half of everything -- half of the box of shells, half of the spaghetti sauce, half of the cottage cheese, half of the cheese.  So, I'll be honest, it's real easy to double.  :)

Also, just for fun, I used a 8x4 pyrex dish to bake this.  It ended up being the perfect size for this recipe.

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to directions.  When they are done, drain well and then run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  This also cools them for handling.  Lay on a paper towel to wick away extra water.

In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, half of cheese, egg, and seasonings.  Mix well.

Pour about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce into a baking dish and lightly coat the bottom.

Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and place in baking dish.  (For my shells, it was about a regular eating spoon's worth per shell).


Top with spaghetti sauce and cheese.  Bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Variations and Tips

• Not a fan of Cottage Cheese? Use Ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese.  Add Parmesan cheese to the cheese mixture instead of or in addition to the mozzarella.
• Need the meat? Use a meat sauce or brown up sausage or beef and mix into your cheese mixture.
• Need more veggies?  Add frozen spinach...thaw and drain well, then add to cheese mixture.  Or use a chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce.
• Serve with a salad and bread sticks or garlic bread to complete your Olive Garden Experience at home.

Got your own Stuffed Pasta Recipe? Comment!

Fast and Easy Chicken Rotel

Chicken Rotel
6-12 oz pasta, cooked
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 - 1.5 lbs cooked chicken, in bite sized pieces
8 oz Velveeta, cubed

Mix all ingredients. Heat until all Velveeta is melted and mixture is creamy and heated through.

Variations

• 
  
  Buy Tyson trimmed and ready boneless, skinless chicken strips for a quick cooking chicken. I throw them in a pan with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then cover with Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 5-10 minutes. Then cut into bite size pieces. This method works for any boneless, skinless chicken but the time will vary based on the size of your chicken
• 
  
  Use your left over chicken from last night OR boil a whole chicken, covered, for about 40 minutes instead of the method above.
• 
  
  Don't like Chicken? This recipe is good without it.
• 
  
  Boil your noodles in chicken broth instead of water for that homemade, took all day flavor.
• 
  
  Rotel Tomatoes too spicy? Leave 'em out! Don't use any tomatoes...or try a different flavor. Italian tomatoes are different and yummy in this.
• 
  
  Cream of Mushroom Soup can be used instead of Cream of Chicken Soup. Healthy Choice soups are "soupier" than regular soups.
• Want to really blow people's minds? Cook the chicken and pasta, then pour everything into a casserole dish and bake at 350 until bubbly (about 20 minutes). They'll think you boiled the chicken for 40 minutes, too. Heck, if your baking a casserole, you probably did boil the whole chicken.