Cheesy stuffed pasta
family,  Food,  parenting

Family Favourite Cheesy Stuffed Pasta #GayLeaMom

Cheesy stuffed pasta

Cheesy stuffed pasta

I love manicotti and I love cannelloni too. I remember making these both as a teenager. I still love a tasty cheesy pasta dish and so does my family. So sometimes we combine the two ideas of cannelloni and manicotti and make our own version of cheesy stuffed pasta with a little help from Nordica cottage cheese. The ingredients aren’t expensive and this should make enough for the entire family, and then some. When we made this scrumptious and nutritious dinner last week, we actually made enough for two nights. The kids ended up taking some for lunch at school and so did my husband.

Cheesy stuffed pasta
The ingredients are simple, but this relies on lots of cheese. Cheesy stuffed pasta

I am a big fan of this recipe. The entire family loves cottage cheese. It’s a quick hit of protein when you need it. It is often my mid-day snack on its own. And did you know, that dairy is safe usually in terms of sodium? So this is a natural for me. I stopped adding salt to any of my foods way back in November when I started eating healthier due to a sudden high blood pressure issue. I read labels carefully now and what I have learned about sodium is kind of shocking. It is hidden in foods I would never ever expect it to be in and it is not in dairy. So, as a result, all my recipes are home made these days and I am feeling much better. Fewer prepackaged foods mean healthier choices for me and less slat in my diet. I still need to go and check the blood pressure officially but I feel as if it has levelled out again.

Cheesy stuffed pasta
Cheesy stuffed pasta

The following recipe is also easy to make with the kids. My older daughter helped me make this one. Usually my younger daughter enjoys this also but on the night I was making these she was too busy playing with a friend to want to help. She sure took part when it was time to eat these yummy noodles though. 🙂

If you want to go for an even healthier version of this recipe you might substitute low fat cheese for the shredded cheese I put on top. You might also swap the noodles out for whole wheat. And of course you want lean ground beef always.

By the way did you know that Gay Lea’s Nordica Cottage Cheese is made from 100% Canadian dairy milk?

It is also:

o High in protein. Just 1/2 cup provides 15g of protein that is low in fat.

o A great source of calcium

o Gluten and nut free

This is my family recipe:

 

Cheesy stuffed pasta

Family Favourite Cheesy Stuffed Pasta #GayLeaMom

Paula Schuck
Cheesy Stuffed Pasta
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb of lean ground beef
  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 2 eggs.
  • 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 container of Nordica cottage cheese
  • 1 box of cannelloni or manicotti noodles (you can also substitute
  • 1 cup of shredded cottage cheese

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef
  • Drain the fat.
  • In a mixing bowl add the eggs and the cottage cheese to the ground beef.
  • Blend the ingredients
  • Add the bread crumbs.
  • Grate cheddar cheese and set aside.
  • Open the spaghetti sauce and set aside
  • Add a small handful of the grated cheddar to the ground beef mixture.
  • Boil the noodles if that is required depending on the type of noodles you bought. Some are oven ready so read carefully. For this recipe I used oven ready noodles.
  • Line 2 casserole dishes with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce.
  • Stuff each noodle carefully and place in the dishes
  • Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the tops of noodles.
  • Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top holding back a bit until right before you serve the meal.
  • Cook covered in an oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. ENJOY!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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