Healthy Frugal Dinner - Stuffed Pasta Shells

When living on one income and spending half of it on rent, it becomes necessary to budget other things like food. I always try to find something with a fairly small amount of affordable ingredients and minimal prep time when searching for new recipes. Anything that might tempt a picky toddler is a bonus! I certainly can't see Baby Girl devouring sushi rolls, for example.

I cooked this for the first time this past week for Top Gun and me. We had enough to fill us up and share a little with Baby Girl, plus leftovers for both of us for two more meals. The recipe I got from Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Women was originally for half the amount I've listed below, but I had so many pasta shells and a half of a pound of ground beef and cottage cheese leftover, so I just went ahead and prepared double so I didn't waste any food. This could easily feed a family of 5, or you can cut it in half if you don't want a lot of leftovers. I didn't list prices for some of the items since most people generally keep them on hand or stocked in the pantry.

Ingredients

1 box jumbo pasta shells (about 30) $1.99

1 lb ground beef (or turkey) $3.23

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning ~

1 teaspoon fennel seed ~

1/2 teaspoon pepper ~

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms $2.49

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup) $1.25

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped ~

2 cups fat-free cottage cheese $2.00

2 eggs or 4 egg white ~

2 cups tomato pasta sauce $1.50

total cost = $12.46

servings = about 10

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, cook meat, Italian seasoning, fennel seed and pepper in large skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; remove mixture from skillet.
3. In same skillet, cook mushrooms, onion and garlic over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in meat mixture, cottage cheese, and egg.
4. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of mixture into each pasta shell. Place in baking dish. Spoon pasta sauce over shells.
5. Cover with foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot.
6. Serve with salad or fresh green beens.

Et voilà! C'est très délicieux!