Boil a full box of shells. I don't stuff the entire box of 30(ish?) but it's nice to have a few extra for the ones that can't stand up to the heat of the boiling water and come apart in shreds. (insert applicable life analogy here.) Plus, my kids think it's great fun to eat the leftover shells. In fact, they would be happy if I just gave them a plate of cooked shells and called it dinner. (Wait a minute, why am I bothering with a recipe??)
Okay, as the shells are cooking, I take a 16 oz. container of cottage cheese (you can also use ricotta if you prefer unless you have a husband like mine who thinks ricotta is "too rich." Yes, this would be the same husband who can put away a couple of hot dog appetizers at a ballgame followed by a polish sausage entree chased with a burrito on the way home. Yeah, ricotta is waaaaaay to rich.)
But once again (and again!) I digress......
So, take your cheese of choice, mix with some salt and pepper and 2 eggs.
I then take my Trader Joe's turkey meatballs (any brand will do) and cut them in half. This is easier to do if you have let the bag set out for an hour or if you defrost them in the fridge the night before. Yes, any bag will say to keep frozen but I am releasing you from any sort of guilt you may be feeling. You are presumably an adult that has managed to get this far in life with your wits about you so go ahead and live a little.
I then take a shell, line it with a washed fresh leaf of spinach, put about 1 TBSP of the cheese filling and then pop a half meatball in.
I line them up in a slightly OCD fashion after spraying my 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle with some cheese.....
Add a jar of sauce....
Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes and serve with a side of baby carrots!
No comments:
Post a Comment