Cheese-Stuffed Shells
When I was living in California, I tasted this rich cheesy pasta dish at a neighborhood Italian restaurant. I got the recipe and made a few changes to it in my own kitchen. I'm happy to share it with you. —Lori Mecca, Grants Pass, Oregon
Reviews
I thought that the recipe was great and my whole family loved it. I had a 29oz can of crushed tomatoes on hand but no sauce so I used that and I didn't have any dried onion so I sautéed a 1/4 cup of fresh onion and warmed the sauce on the stove for 20 mins. while I put the shells together. I also didn't have cottage cheese so I used ricotta instead. I would've liked more sauce, so I will double the sauce next time, but the seasonings were right on and the cream cheese just made in really rich and creamy. A great recipe to play with and adjust it to your families taste!
I have been making this for years. Its perfect for big gathering as well as potlucks. I myself don't like to put in the cinnamon think its best left out. All in all one of my families favorites!!!
I made this for the first time a few weeks ago and it was asked for 3 times since by my family!! They absolutely love it as do I. Great recipe. Thanks!
I’ve been making these since the recipe came out in TofH!! Absolutely fantastic! Just as good when baked from frozen. One of my “go to” dishes!
Can ricotta be substituted for cottage cheese?
I have made these shells a lot of times. My family loves them. In fact, my mom wants these for her birthday this year. I do use Johnsonville ground sweet Italian sausage in the recipe. Sometimes I use the hot sausage as well. Everything else stays the same. Great recipe, wonderful taste!
These shell are delightfully cheesy and tasty!!
I didn't cook my pasta shells so long since everything was really only warming in the oven. The other reason I didn't cook them so long was because I took the wonderful idea in a review here and began sending the shells to shut-ins or people I know don't cook for themselves much. Since I knew they would have to rewarm them, I didn't want them overcooked.
These shells were absolutely amazing! I omitted the sausage as I was serving them as a side dish, but I also ate the leftovers as a meatless main later in the week and they were equally as good when starring as the main dish. I'm positive these will be equally delicious with the sausage added! My significant other couldn't stop popping shells, he was addicted!
Oh, this is one of our family's favorite recipes! The only change I make is to use a 28 oz. jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce since I'm usually in a hurry to get supper on the table. We love the cheesiness (is that a word?) with the pasta shells & sauce. A little taste of heaven! :)