Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made these for Nora's turtle birthday party.

I was inspired by this recipe and this recipe, but I combined them to make my own.

Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. box jumbo shell pasta
• 2 lbs. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan, grated or shredded
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 1 Tblsp. dried parsley
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to box directions.  Rinse with cold water.  Lay pasta shells, open side down, on two layers of paper towels and allow to drain while you prepare filling.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, eggs, and seasonings.  
3. Pour a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
4. Press 1-2 tablespoons of cheese filling into each pasta shell.  I used my 1.5 tablespoon scoop.  Place filled shells, open side facing up, in the 9x13 pan.  My filling filled 37 pasta shells, and I crammed them all in one foil pan.
5. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over stuffed pasta shells.  Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes or until hot all the way through.  Remove foil, cover with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Jessica