Millennium Italian Casserole

Total Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
• 6 tablespoons butter or 6 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 cup pepperoni, thinly sliced
• 2 (6 ounce) packages mozzarella cheese, presliced
• 1/2 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• dried oregano
• black pepper

Recipe

• 1 cook shells as directed on package. drain.
• 2 sauté ground beef. mix cottage or ricotta cheese, butter, and tomato sauce until well blended.
• 3 stir in mushrooms and green pepper, blending well. add oregano and pepper.
• 4 place layer of cooked shells in bottom of lightly buttered casserole. cover with layer of cottage cheese mixture. top with half of the pepperoni. place 2 slices mozzarella cheese on top. crumble 1/3 ground beef evenly over cheese.
• 5 repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with mozzarella cheese on top, ringed with pepperoni slices.
• 6 bake at 350 degrees f for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly.