Stuffed Pasta Shells

This year was the first year that my family built our own sukkah. A sukkah is a small hut that Jewish people build and spend time in over the holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is a harvest holiday so it is customary to decorate the sukkah with fruits and vegetables and to enjoy these foods inside it as well. The sukkah represents the huts that the farmers would live in during the harvest period. As I do live in Canada, we don’t get to enjoy the sukkah as much as warmer climates do, but we try and have a meal or two inside and invite friends and family to join us and enjoy each other’s company in the sukkah.

I decided to make this recipe to enjoy in our sukkah with family. This recipe is perfect when you want to elevate your lasagna recipe into something special. I took all my usual lasagna ingredients and stuffed them into large pasta shells. I topped it with my favourite jarred marinara and more shredded cheese. The amount of compliments I received while people were eating this dish was justification that I have created something impressive and delicious. These pasta shells stuffed with 3 cheeses, sauteed veggies and spices is a one pot meal worth gossiping about!

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Yeild: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 box large pasta shells (12 oz)
1 tub smooth ricotta cheese (475g)
1 pkg dry pressed cottage cheese (500g)
1/2 large carrot, thin julienne
1/2 red pepper, thin julienne
1/2 zucchini, thin julienne
2/3 mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 small broccoli florets, cut very small
1 egg
1/4 + 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt/pepper, to taste
1 jar good quality marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pan, saute the vegetables in a tbsp of olive oil. Once softened, season with salt, pepper and the Italian seasoning. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil the pasta shells until they are pliable but not soft. About 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, dried oregano, egg and fresh parsley.
4. Add the cooked vegetables into the cheese mixture and mix until well incorporated.
5. Using a spoon, stuff the shells with the cheese mixture until full, and then slightly ‘close’ them. Place in a baking pan that has a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Continue until all the shells are stuffed.
6. Top shells with tomato sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!