Stuffed Shells: Simple, Easy, Meatless Italian Supper

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN MAY, 2010 on the OLD CENTENNIAL FARMHOUSE blog.

Don't know about where you're at, but here in Michigan, we've been having NOVEMBER weather. We had a dry March and April for the most part, and May brought with it dark, cloudy, cold and damp days. On days like that, having the oven on for a bit helps warm things up, and it's even better if what's in the oven smells and tastes good when it's taken out for supper.

So, today, I'm sharing a good recipe with those of you plagued with cold and dreariness. I love the grill and picnic-like suppers, but on days when the rain's pouring and the wind cuts right through, it ain't gonna happen! ; - 0

I've had this blog for almost three years now,
and I can't believe I've never shared this recipe with you...
it's one of my favorite meatless suppers, and it's good, too!

So many times we think of meatless as boring, and men especially think so, too.
But I never hear one complaint when this one's put on the table.
It's YUMMY!

(Some people include meat in their stuffed shells, that's fine, but for us, this is how we love it!)

All you need is a salad and maybe some garlic bread and it's meal fit for a king!

You will need:
Jar of spaghetti sauce
cottage or ricotta cheese or both (at least 16 oz.)
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz. Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese, dried or fresh (a half cup or more)
Lawry's garlic salt with parsley
Preheat oven to 375

This recipe serves four, with a few leftover.
If you want to make a bigger batch, they serve well leftover.

Start with some Jumbo Shells, four to five per adult, a couple extra thrown in for good measure, cooked al dente'.

I cook in water with a bit of sea salt, and a plop of oil so they won't stick to each other or the pan. Then when done, I drain and rinse in cold water while they sit in the colander; in order to make them a better temp to handle. When they've cooled down, I shake the colander well to get rid of the extra water.

To insure an easy clean-up, spray your casserole dish with some Pam on the sides and the bottom, and spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce.

In a mixing bowl, use a half large container (24 oz.) of large curd cottage cheese (ricotta can also be used or ricotta and cottage cheese together) , two eggs, Parmesan (canned or fresh, or both if you have it) and some shredded mozzarella (start with a little over half a sixteen ounce package). I also season with Lawry's coarsely ground garlic salt and parsley, but it's not a necessity.

The measurements I don't have, I just make it so that it the consistency of the filling can be put easily with a spoon into the shells. You can see here that I have a bit of seeping but you don't want the mixture too dry, either. If you think it's too runny, the best policy is to add more mozzarella. Just be sure to save a little to sprinkle on the top of the completed dish.

Stuff all the shells and lay them open side down in a casserole dish.
Do you see the beauty here?

Now it's lookin' even better!

Squeeze them all in, there will be some shrinkage so don't worry if they're crowded...(they're just one big, happy Italian family!). Cover the top by spooning more spaghetti sauce over the top.

Sprinkle the leftover mozzarella on top of spaghetti sauce, cover the pan with foil and put into a pre-heated 375-degree oven. Cook in the top third of the oven for around a 30-40 minutes, or perhaps a little longer, removing the foil for at least ten minutes to brown the top and edges.

**This dish is an excellent candidate for baking in individual-size casserole dishes. If you do this, reduce the cooking time and perhaps the temp to 350. This is also an excellent dish to bake in your iron fry pan, which would also decrease baking time slightly.

Looks good....just how we like it!
(See how they shrunk up a little to fit the filling inside?)

Oooh....gooey, and chewy. Now, you can check for doneness by removing a single shell from near the center, setting it on a plate and letting it sit to cool for a minute. Cut with a fork, if the inside is NOT runny, it's ready to eat! The cheese should bake into a chewy solid center.

Cool slightly and serve.

DEELISH!!!