Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Kids love pasta and cheese. Try this combination which includes ricotta and chopped broccoli and it is sure to be a hit with the young ones.  Tonight, I prepared all the ingredients and our 4 year old (I’m sorry – 4 ½ year old…) assembled it.  She had so much fun getting the shells to sit up straight in the baking dish so we could stuff them with the cheese mixture.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Serves 6

18 jumbo shell-shaped pasta

1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese 

1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir the ricotta cheese, broccoli, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. 

Spread 1 cup of the sauce in a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each shell.  Place the filled shells on the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the sauce is hot and bubbling.

Note: You can spoon the cheese mixture into a plastic zipper bag, cut one end off, and squeeze into the shells.