Italian Stuffed Shells

Jumbo pasta shells filled with an Italian inspired cottage cheese mixture surrounded by a tomato and ground beef sauce then topped with lots of mozzarella cheese.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Comfort Food – Nothing is better than a cheesy, Italian dish baked in a casserole dish. The cheese pulls are what dinner dreams are made of.
• Feeds Lots of People – This Italian Shells recipe can feed around 12 people which is perfect for a big family meal. Or for a smaller family, you can make this and then have leftovers during the week. These shells heat up perfectly!
• Easy to Make – These Cottage Cheese Stuffed Shells are easy to make and assemble. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes from beginning to eating.
• Freezer Meal – Make this ahead of time, cover and freeze it to bake at a later time or gift to a friend who needs an extra meal.

Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef

• Jumbo Shells
• Ground Beef
• Garlic
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Italian Spices – Oregano, Parsley, Basil
• Hiland Dairy Cottage Cheese
• Egg
• Parmesan Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese

Step By Step Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the jumbo shells. Boil for about 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and then add a large drizzle of olive oil over the shells and toss together. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, drizzle a bit of olive oil in the pan. Add the 1 lb of ground beef and cook all the way through. Drain any excess grease. Add 1 Tablespoon minced garlic.
3. Turn heat to low, then pour in the jar of spaghetti sauce plus a large pinch of salt and pepper. Stir together and heat on low while you mix the filling.
4. In a large bowl, add the 3 cups (24 oz) Hiland Dairy Cottage Cheese, 1 egg, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 Tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Oregano, 1 Tablespoon Basil and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything together until well combined. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish with nonstick spray.
6. Assemble: Spread half of the ground beef mixture on the bottom of the baking dish, Next, spoon about a Tablespoon of the cottage cheese mixture into the shell and place into the dish. Repeat with the remaining shells and line them together tightly in the baking dish.
7. Spoon the remaining ground beef mixture on top of the filled shells. Then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over top of the entire dish.
8. Cover loosely with foil and then bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Why Cottage Cheese?

I love using Hiland Cottage Cheese in my Italian recipes rather than ricotta cheese. I find that cottage cheese melts so much better and gives that comforting, melty cheese bite that I’m looking for in Italian dishes. I love the flavor and texture of cottage cheese in this Shells recipe. Cottage Cheese gets melty but yet still stays inside the shell so you get the true mix of the cottage cheese filling with the tomato ground beef sauce.

Make Ahead Instructions

This Cottage Cheese Shells recipe is a perfect make ahead meal. You’ll follow all the same steps and then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake for up to 24 hours.

Freezing: If you want to freeze this recipe, you will follow all the same instructions. Then I like to cover with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil tightly and place in the freezer. When ready to bake, either remove from the freezer in the morning and thaw then bake like normal. From frozen, bake for an extra 20-30 minutes. Remove foil for the last 15 minutes.

More Easy Cottage Cheese Recipes

• Whipped Cottage Cheese Breakfast Casserole
• Whipped Cottage Cheese Caprese Dip
• Cottage Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken
• Whipped Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese
• Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

And if you’re interested in creating more deliciousness with Hiland Dairy products, be sure to check out Hiland Dairy’s recipes too (including some created by yours truly!).