Creamy Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

To prepare Creamy Vegetarian Stuffed Shells it would take 1 hour which will give your 6 servings.

Ingredients:
14 large shells cooked
½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
½ an onion diced
6 baby bella mushrooms
1 cup baby spinach leaves chopped
1 banana pepper diced
1 teaspoon oregano
½ ground black pepper
Spaghetti Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
3 red peppers seeded and diced
1 pound fresh tomatoes chopped
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 whole bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

Spaghetti Sauce:
Try to make the spaghetti sauce in advance to give the flavors time to blend.  To make the sauce, in a medium sized pot add olive oil, onions, and garlic and stir on high heat.

Once onions are translucent, add mushrooms and a dash of salt, turn heat down to medium and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.

Next add the red peppers, chopped tomatoes, and bay leaf. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes and stir occasionally.

Add tomato sauce and remove the lid. Let the pot boil until the spaghetti sauce has reached your desired thickness (for about 1 hour).

Finally stir in oregano, basil, salt and pepper to suit your taste. Turn off heat and allow flavors to blend.
Stuffed Pasta Shells:
Cook pasta shells according to directions on the package.

While pasta is cooking, put olive oil in a medium sized skillet and add onions, sauté until they become translucent. Next add the mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms begin to shrink a little and become soft.

In a medium sized mixing bowl add cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, onion and mushroom sauté, spinach, green peppers, oregano and black pepper and combine the ingredients.

Stuff cooked shells with cheese mixture. Arrange attractively in a 9×9 Pyrex dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce.

Place in oven covered with aluminum foil at 375 for 30 minutes, then remove cover and allow to bake 15 more minutes.