Preheat oven to 375F. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce out on the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside.
2 cups marinara sauce
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt the water. Once boiling, add the pasta shells and cook until al-dente (about 1 minute less than what's listed on the package). Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and sticking.
20 jumbo pasta shells
Meanwhile, bring a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add a bit of olive oil. Then, add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until turning translucent and tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
olive oil, ½ large yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves
Then, add ground turkey, italian seasoning, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes. Cook, breaking apart, until the ground turkey is browned and almost fully done through.
1 lb ground turkey, 1 tsp italian seasoning, kosher salt & black pepper, red pepper flakes
Add frozen spinach and cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has thawed and wilted. If there seems to be a lot of excess liquid in the pan, drain it off. Transfer ground turkey mixture to a large bowl and let it cool slightly.
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
In another large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, HALF of the mozzarella (1 cup), parmesan and more salt. Then, add the slightly cooled turkey mixture and stir until incorporated.
16 oz cottage cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup finely grated parmesan
Use a spoon to add the filling mixture to the cooked pasta shells. Then, place them into the baking dish. Add the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce on top of the stuffed shells and then sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 cups marinara sauce
Transfer baking dish to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. At the end, switch it to broil for a few more minutes. Garnish with chopped basil and enjoy!
basil