Stuffed Shells

This was a favorite in our family when the kids were teenagers. The recipe was given to me by a neighbor who lived through the woods from us in Grafton, Virginia. She'd been there only a few months by the time we moved but she was kind enough to make this for us while we were packing out.

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Stuffed Shells

1 jar of spaghetti sauce or a quart of homemade sauce
1 box jumbo shells, cooked according to directions—see note

Mix the following together:

1 (16-oz) container low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 T finely chopped parsley
1/4 c frozen chopped spinach, let it thaw and squeeze excess liquid squeezed out
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (or parmegiano reggiano)
3 c shredded mozzarella cheese (reserve 1 c cheese to sprinkle on top)

Spread enough sauce in baking dish to generously cover bottom (about 1/2 inch deep).  Fill shells; place in sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Remove foil, spread reserved cheese on top and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Note from Colette: Usually a box of shells is too much for the filling.  Using a tablespoon to fill the shells, I use approximately 28 shells. If I cook a whole box, I increase the filling ingredients by about half and use 1 1/2 quarts of sauce.