Home Cooking with Jess – Stuffed Shells

Any time something goes wrong in the life of somebody I love, the first thing I think is that maybe I can bring them comfort with my cooking.  I gave pierogies to my friend when her husband (my cousin) passed away tragically in a car accident. And when I found out my dear friend Mandy’s fiancé that suffered a stroke, I would have done anything to ease her pain.

In times when words can only do so much, I like to think that maybe a good meal will bring even a small amount of comfort.  If nothing else, having food on hand takes that small bourdon off. 

This is what brought me to making stuffed shells for the first time.  

I was trying to think of something that wasn’t a casserole, but that I could make in ready-made servings. I had some incredible manicotti from Greco’s at a New Year’s Eve party and the thought of those stuck with me. Stuffed shells seemed a little bit easier to prepare, so that’s what I decided to try. 

I’ve talked in prior columns about using cottage cheese instead of ricotta in lasagna. I came across “whipped cottage cheese” at the store and I wondered if that’s what they were trying to pull off. What else would whipped cottage cheese be used for, right?  If you can’t find that, I usually just put the cottage cheese in a food processor. 

The dish came together very nicely and I topped it with some of my friend Cindy’s homemade canned sauce, which was super delicious.  After they baked, I put them in a disposable pan and took them up to Mandy‘s. When I walked in and told her what I made, she said her fiancé loves stuffed shells…  and really loves ricotta cheese.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her it was whipped cottage cheese until he tried them first!  She texted me the next day and said they were delicious, and I did make an extra serving for the kids, who thought they tasted great.  But, Mandy, if you’re reading this … it wasn’t ricotta!  I hope it still brought you comfort. Love you. 

Ingredients:

• 1 box of large shells
• 8oz of ricotta or whipped cottage cheese
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 12 ounces of red sauce of choice 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp garlic power
• 1 tsp basil 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Boil shells in water according to directions on box. 
3. Meanwhile, mix whipped cottage cheese with egg, garlic powered and basil. 
4. In a baking dish, put a thin layer of sauce. 
5. Once the shells are done, drain them and place them one side up in the sauce lined baking sheet. 
6. Fill each shell with cheese mixture. 
7. Top the shells evenly with sauce. 
8. Sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella. 
9. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes. 

Enjoy!