Taste-of-Italy Casserole

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Step 3 -In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground chuck, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink. Drain the excess grease.

Step 4 -Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the olive oil and add the onions to the cooked ground chuck and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

Step 5 -Add the garlic to the ground chuck mixture and cook, about 30 seconds.

Step 6 -Reduce the heat to low. Add the marinara sauce to the ground chuck mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Step 7 -In a medium bowl, add the egg, the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and mix to combine.

Step 8 -Evenly spread about 3/4 of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Step 9 -Stuff each of the cooked pasta shells with 1 rounded tablespoon of the cheese mixture, then arrange them open-side up in the meat sauce in the dish.

Step 10 -Evenly spoon the remaining meat sauce in between the shells but not directly on top of them.

Step 11 -Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the stuffed shells, about 30 minutes.

Step 12 -Discard the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the remaining parmesan cheeses over the shells.

Step 13 -Bake the stuffed shells until the cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 14 -Serve the stuffed shells garnished with the basil leaves.