About 6 – 8 cups of Tomato Sauce (I do a HUGE batch of my home-made authentic 8-hour Italian sauce, but any meatless spaghetti sauce will do…even yours!)
Two Packages of Jumbo Pasta shells (I like the Primo or Lancia brands…there are about 35 shells in each box, the recipe as follows will make about 50-60 shells.
Enough shredded Mozzarella to cover two large baking dishes. (Cheaper if you buy the brick and grate it yourself!)
I 8 oz package cream cheese (I use philly light, leave it on the counter a while to soften)
I tub of ricotta cheese (500 grams…about the size of your average sour cream tub, Light versions of any of the cheeses work just fine)
I package dry curd cottage cheese (seems to me its about a cup and half’s worth)
4-6 oz GOOD Feta cheese, please go to a good Italian deli for this. I think I sometimes put more in because we love it so!
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (I buy the bricks and hand grate it myself)
3 – 4 eggs
2 teaspoons finely chopped Italian parsley
I add a dash of dried tarragon, dill, onion salt and garlic salt to taste.
(I think it turns out to be about a ¼ teaspoon of garlic salt, I used dried onion bits this time too, works the same…once you blend you can actually taste a bit to see if it’s flavourful enough)
Mixing the Cheese Filling
Cut the cream cheese into chunks into a mixing bowl.
Add one of the eggs.
Mix with electric beater until relatively smooth (20 seconds at most)
Add in the other two eggs and the ricotta…mix again.
Add in the feta, dry curd cottage cheese, parmesan….mix a bit more.
Add your seasonings, herbs and parsley and you guessed it…mix again! (At this point I'm just using a mixing spoon)
Give it a little taste..adjust seasoning if needed.
Option:
When I do this recipe I double everything and make one batch with spinach mixed in.
Just buy chopped frozen spinach in the little rectangle box, boil it up, drain it well (I use a strainer and a potato masher), let it cool off and stir it into the cheese filling. Most of my family like these ones even better!
The cheese fillings can be made ahead, even a day, stored in the fridge of course!
Putting it all together
Cook the pasta shells…salt the water, I cook mine for about 14 minutes. They should NOT be soft, nor TOO hard.
Rinse immediately with cold water in the strainer…mix to ensure all cool down.
Drag out two glass baking dishes (lasagna size…9 X 12, 10 X 13 whatever you have)
Cover the bottoms with a layer of sauce (doesn’t have to be too thick).
With a shell in your left hand and a teaspoon in your right (vice versa if you’re a lefty) spoon the filling into the shells. Sometimes you have to prop them open a tad with your fingers.
Line the pans with shells, then spoon more tomato sauce over top. (I try to cover most of the exposed surfaces, but no need to FILL the pans up with sauce)
Cover with the grated Mozza and you’re ready to bake!!!
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
You can also freeze any extras you make before the baking process. Just thaw overnight in the fridge when you want them and bake as usual!
Enjoy!!!
May I suggest grilled red peppers as a side?
I cut mine into 4's or 6's (depending on their size) cover them with a bit of olive oil and two cloves of chopped fresh garlic, a dash of salt and tarragon.
Fire up the George Foreman (or whatever you have!) and cook them until they are soft and SWEET (about 20-25 minutes on our machine)
Need I mention a nice red wine as the final touch???
Just stopping by, I don't seem to visit you a lot. BUT, I really appreciate your visits to me and your insights! You made me start looking at things from the other side, meaning the bear meat thing--what OW must be thinking that he's keeping it OUR house and not her's or that his really important things are still at our house! Like his seven deer mounts!!, one bear rug, mounted walleyes and bass, his mounted owl, his elk horns, and his other deer horns. I wonder if he only keeps them there because OW doesn't have any place to put them....nahh she'd make a place for them!!!!
