Spicy Cheese-Stuffed Shells

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a three-cheese blend and baked under a spicy tomato-chile sauce. This version uses low-fat cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella for a lighter filling that still melts into a gooey, satisfying bite.

The filling mixes cottage cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella with oregano, parsley, and a dash of crushed red pepper. The sauce is dead simple: canned tomatoes with green chilies thickened with a little cornstarch. It bubbles up around the shells in the oven and soaks into every crevice.

The green chilies give this dish a Tex-Mex twist that sets it apart from the usual Italian ricotta-stuffed version. There’s real heat here, not just flavor.

Chef Tips

• Cook the shells just until pliable, not fully tender. They’ll finish cooking in the oven and overcooked shells tear when you stuff them.
• Rinse the cooked shells in cool water immediately to stop the cooking and make them easy to handle.
• Drain the cottage cheese well before mixing. Extra moisture makes the filling runny and the shells soggy.
• Spoon about ¼ cup filling into each shell. Don’t overstuff or they won’t close and the filling leaks out.

Variations

• Add cooked, crumbled ground turkey to the filling for a meatier version.
• Swap the canned tomatoes with chilies for plain crushed tomatoes and add diced jalapeños to control the heat level.
• Top with extra shredded mozzarella for the last 5 minutes of baking for a browned, bubbly cheese crust.