Stuffed shells--can it be made without Ricotta? No one here likes it, plus it's expensive.?

Question

The rest of the menu is a nice salad, garlic bread, and chicken parmigiana. Red Velvet cake for dessert. Cooking keeps me sober!

Answer 1

You can use any cheese you like !!! Remember that cooking is merely opinion... YOU get to make whatever YOU want !!

I have made my shells with parm. provolone and muenster cheeses and ham.

Another way I made it was with crab and shrimp with sour cream, parm. & cheaddar cheeses.

Next I will stuff my shells with ground turkey and leeks with feta cheese... topped with Alfredo sauce. Its on the menu for tomorrow night.

The possibilites are endless as your imagination!

: ) Happy cooking and happy new year !

Answer 2

Instead of Ricotta use a fine curd Cottage Cheese. Put in food proceesor or blender & with a tiny bit of milk or cream make is smooth. Add seasonings & stuff that into shells. Or just serve your meal with a side dish of plain cooked pasta.

Meal sounds fab. Good luck.

Answer 3

I use cottage cheese for that all the time -- whirling it around in a food processor for a moment will make for a nicer texture. That's not critical, though.

Throw in some mozzarella, parmesan, etc, too; whatever you have on hand -- cottage cheese alone can be a little bland. Ricotta definitely isn't mandatory.

A basic recipe, from a cottage cheese company:

http://www.hphood.com/kitchen/kitchReciDetail.aspx?id=71

You can use cream cheese, too --

http://www.contadina.com/Recipes.asp?id=111

Answer 4

How about cottage cheese? Do the folks there like it? If they do, you can substitute cottage cheese for Ricotta. I usually add an egg to the cottage cheese, and substitute measure for measure.

Answer 5

Cottage Cheese Lasagna

1 (16-ounce) whole tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
8 ounces lasagna noodles
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese
Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
In a saucepan over medium heat simmer whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, bay leaf, fennel, and basil.
In a skillet saute chopped onion and crushed garlic cloves in oil until golden. Add ground beef and cook until browned; drain. Add the tomato sauce mixture and simmer for 1 hour.
Prepare lasagna noodles according to the package directions.
In an 8-inch square dish start with a thin layer of sauce, then a layer of noodles, then cottage cheese. Divide sliced mozzarella cheese among the layers. Repeat the layers ending with the sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Easy Four Cheese Lasagna
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (26 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
1 pound cottage cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a blender or with an electric mixer, blend tomato sauce and cottage cheese together until smooth. Spoon a little of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place a layer of cooked noodles over the sauce, and sprinkle a portion of the mozzarella, the cheddar and the parmesan over the noodles. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles and cheese; finish with a cheese layer.
Bake in preheated oven 30 to 45 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Answer 6

I use Cottage Cheese, Mozz, Sharp and Parm cheeses. You can put chopped up Brocolli or spinich or both and seasonings and eggs. My Family loves them, and I can't get them to eat veggies.

Answer 7

Try www.recipezaar.com and they should have different variations for making stuffed shells using all sorts of cheeses. Try there, it's a FREE site!

Answer 8

Try substituting cottage cheese.

Answer 9

I use a mix of ground beef and cheese and sometimes some pork saug.it tast really good.

Answer 10

I've always made them with a base of seasoned meat (beef and or italian sausage) and shredded mozzarella. yum