Cheese Stuffed Shells

Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

A few months ago I got together with a group of ladies to do a group cook night. It was an awesome time and we made some great dishes for the freezer. It definitely makes mealtimes easier and loads faster.  One of the dishes we made were cheese stuffed shells.  We froze the shells without any sauce so they are uber flexible.  I froze the shells in aluminum foil pans that held about 8 shells each.  This is the perfect size for Dewey, Evan and I.  Add the sauce of your choice and “Voila!” dinner.

Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

20 jumbo pasta shells (or as many as you need for the cheese filling…pasta shell sizes vary)
2 cups cottage cheese, drained
1 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper

Boil pasta shells per package directions.  Rinse with cold water and set aside to dry.

Mix cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, oregano and pepper in a medium bowl.  Stuff each shell with cheese mixture until full.  Freeze on cookie sheets and then transfer to a Ziploc bag or freeze in aluminum pans.

Thaw prior to use.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes:  When I cooked these the other night, I browned a pound of ground turkey and added a jar of spaghetti sauce.  I poured this mixture over two of my small pans of thawed shells and then topped with mozzarella cheese.  I baked it at 400 for 30 minutes.