Stuffed Shells, Lightened Up

Stuffed shells, albeit a little more time consuming than say, lasagna...and much more time consuming than spaghetti with sauce from a jar (aka what I serve for dinner at least once a month), are a big hit when they make an appearance on our dinner table. This recipe gets my personal "Mom's Seal of Approval" award for several reasons. 1) I can make them ahead, and then pop them into the oven when I get home from work or school activities. 2) Everyone eats these without complaining. 3) They are delicious. They actually remind me of my favorite lasagna recipe. 4) They are fairly cost effective- not counting the salad and bread, the cost per serving was $2.09 for 6 servings. In reality, my 2 youngest did not eat a full serving portion, so there were enough leftovers for 2 addition meals. *Grocery prices based on my Ohio ALDI receipts. 5) They are low calorie- for stuffed shells, that is. With a few lighter ingredient substitutions, these come in at 430 calories per serving. Very reasonable for a flavor-packed, filling, cheesy dinner!

Here's how it all came together:

Count out 24 shells, or about half of the package. Or cook the whole package. You can always use the extra noodles to make a different recipe later in the week. Or boil them all and double the recipe so that you can deliver the other dish to a friend who could use a night off from making dinner. Or  freeze the extra pan for a future meal. Or hand out individual shells to trick or treaters. Or.... you get the idea. I cooked the whole box.

Brown up a pound of hamburger with an onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain the excess fat.

Then stir in a can of tomato paste.

And 2 cups of hot water.

Add in bouillon, oregano, and basil. Bring it up to a nice simmer and keep it there, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Whilst your sauce simmers and the shells boil, go ahead and mix up the ingredients for the filling.

Once the shells are ready to come out of the water, roll out some parchment paper. Then drain the noodles and place them open and face down on the parchment. Why face down? This is my little trick to keep them from rolling closed when I am trying to fill them. If they cool this way, they are easier to fill.

See?!? Now just take a small spoon and add a scoop or two of filling to each shell. If you're feeling ambitious you can pipe it in from a plastic baggie or pastry bag. However, I think this is just as quick and easy.

Place the filled shells in a "greased" (I used non-stick olive oil spray) 9X13 baking dish.

Now let's check back with that sauce that's been a-simmerin' away on the stovetop. This recipe made a surprisingly rich and tasty meat sauce. I was a little skeptical when reading the ingredients: Water, tomato paste, bouillon.... But seriously, this sauce was awesome! Now is the time to taste it and see if you need to add any additional seasonings. I finished mine off with a little garlic salt after taste-testing.

Spread the sauce over the stuffed shells and bake them covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbling around the edges. If you make this ahead and refrigerate, you might need to bake longer, checking to make sure the center is nice and hot. Then uncover and sprinkle with cheese and bake some more until the cheese is melted.

It should look something like this when it emerges from your oven. YUM!

We plated ours up with a spinach salad and some garlic bread. And everyone was happy around our dinner table. #winning

Ahhhh. That first bite! Mmmmmm. CHEESY!

Italian Stuffed Shells from Taste of Home

adapted by Krista's Kitchen

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 50 min. Bake: 35 min. YIELD:6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef lean ground beef (90/10) 
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules or 2 cubes
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt                           
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• pepper, to taste                          
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 cups (16 ounces) 1% cottage cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 24 jumbo shell noodles, cooked and drained

Directions

• 1. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water, tomato paste, bouillon and spices. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, combine egg, cottage cheese and 1 cup mozzarella. Salt and pepper. Stuff shells with cheese mixture.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange shells in a greased 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish. Pour meat sauce over shells. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer.
  Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake as directed, adding remaining 1 cup mozzarella and parmesan after 30-40 minutes and increasing time as necessary for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts

4 stuffed shells and sauce: approximately 430 calories

Cheese and Chicken Shells

Tonight I served the first meal from my chicken processing session last week. It really was a beautiful thing. Monday's are always busy here. I drop off my daughter at school, head to my parenting group, pick up my daughter, feed everyone lunch, try to catch up on laundry and cleaning needs that have accumulated over the weekend while my toddler naps, and have dinner on the table by 5:00 before my daughter's 5:50 dance class. In addition, I needed to run to the grocery and my oldest had a friend over today so I needed a few breaks from the routine to deal with "5 year old girl drama". When I returned home from the grocery this afternoon, I pulled out the Chicken and Cheese Shells casserole from the freezer to thaw. No chopping or cooking or mess...at 4:15 I popped this into the oven, then changed everyone into dance class clothes and answered emails while it baked. At 5:00 pm we had a delicious, homemade meal on the table that everyone (except for my daughter's friend...she wasn't a fan) devoured. Awesome! Not only were these cheesy shells yummy, they're healthy too! Low in fat, full of protein and calcium, AND there are vitamins in there too...since there's finely grated carrot in the filling.

Here's how I made this casserole. First, I combined cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, an egg, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Note: you're supposed to stir in a cup of shredded chicken too. I forgot.



You can boil the shells until "just cooked" while you make the filling. I made mine the day before, so I just pulled them out of the fridge.



Now stuff the shells with the cottage cheese mixture and place in a baking dish. As I was stuffing my shells, I realized that there really wasn't enough filling for all of the shells. I was a little disappointed. I decided to tear up the extra shells and tuck them in around the stuffed shells. I figured that the pasta would still get eaten when smothered in cheese sauce and baked. I was right.



After I finished stuffing the shells, I turned to make the sauce. Then it hit me. That chicken that I'd cooked and shredded the day before...I was supposed to put that into the filling. No wonder that there wasn't enough filling for all of the shells. Duh.



I totally wasn't going to un-stuff the shells, stir chicken into the filling, and re-stuff them, so I just sprinkled the chicken over the top of the stuffed shells. This worked just fine. : )



Then I began making the sauce. No need to make a fattening roux (although I'm a big fan of a rich, fattening roux), Just stir 1 and 3/4 cups of skim milk into 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.



Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.



Add a cup (4 oz.) of Swiss cheese. If you can find the shredded stuff, great. If not, just use slices like I did.



Cook and stir until the cheese melts, then add a dash of nutmeg. I also added some salt too. This makes for a really nice, lower-fat sauce.



Pour the sauce over the shells.



Smooth it out so that the shells are covered. I sprinkled mine with a little pepper.



Now cover, label and freeze until you're ready to bake. OR... bake it right away at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



Mine was not fully thawed when I put it into the oven. I baked it covered for 30 minutes, but when I checked it at the end of this time, the center was still cold. I un-covered the dish, turned up the heat to 425 degrees (for the sake of time) and baked it for another 15 minutes. It was perfectly golden brown and bubbly around the edges when I pulled it from the oven.



This is totally comfort food! Mmmm.



Cheese and Chicken Shells adapted from Frozen Assets: Lite and Easy

Makes: 6 servings

12 jumbo pasta shells
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 3/4 cups skim milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup (4 oz.) reduced fat Swiss cheese, grated or thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Advance prep:

Cook chicken. Shred for a total of 1 cup. Cook macaroni shells according to package directions. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Grate mozzarella and Swiss cheeses if needed. Grate carrots.

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, combine beaten egg, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon into cooked pasta shells. Place into a freezer safe casserole pan. In a medium sauce pan (or skillet) combine milk and cornstarch; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add Swiss cheese, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Stir until cheese is melted. Spoon sauce evenly over the shells. Cover with foil, label, and freeze.

To serve:

Thaw. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly around the edges. Sprinkle with a small amount of nutmeg.

Per Serving: 341 calories, 4.5 g fat, 21.7 g protein, 52.0 g carbohydrates, 51 mg cholesterol

Note: I used low fat cottage cheese instead of fat free and "regular" mozzarella and Swiss cheeses.

To print or download this recipe please click here.

Ham Stuffed Jumbo Shells

These were yummy, although a little time intensive. I was talking to a friend on the phone a couple of hours before I had planned to start preparing these. I said, "Come on over. I'm trying a stuffed shell recipe." Then, somehow time got away from me. The baby has a cold and didn't want to be put down. I was trying to straighten up a little and clear the dishes out of the sink. Anyway, when our guests arrived I had just put the shells on to boil. I had a lovely visit with my friend while I chopped and sauteed and stuffed. Then the shells still needed to bake for 30 minutes. I'm generally a reliable hostess. If dinner is promised at 5:30, I'm pretty close. I was running about an hour behind with this one. Not good. About every 5 minutes the kids ran through the kitchen, announcing "We're hungry!" By the time that I put dinner on the table, the kids were stuffed with Cheerios and crackers and juice. They all took 2 bites and ran off to play and we "grown ups" actually had 10 minutes of uninterrupted adult conversation with our stuffed shells. Beautiful.

I began the stuffed shells by cooking 24 jumbo pasta shells according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.


Next, I sauteed 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms and 1/2 cup each of chopped onion and sweet red pepper.


While the veggies cooked, I started this simple sauce. I just mixed 2 cups of milk with 3 tablespoons of flour and a little salt and cooked until thickened.


Once the mushroom, onion, and pepper are tender, add 1 pound of diced ham, 1/2 cup of shredded swiss, and 3 tablespoons of parmesean cheese. Cook and stir until the ham is heated and the cheese is melted.


Remove the filling from heat and add in 1/2 cup of the sauce.


Spoon the filling into the shells.


Place your stuffed shells into a 13 X 9 in. baking dish, coated with non-stick cooking spray.


Now pour the rest of the sauce over the shells. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30minutes.


Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded swiss, parsley, and paprika.






Ham-Stuffed Jumbo Shells adapted from Light and Tasty Magazine

24 jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved and sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb. diced ham
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan,
combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes
or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside. In a large nonstick
skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Reduce
heat; add the ham, 1/2 cup Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until
cheese is melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved sauce.
Drain pasta; stuff each shell with about 3 tablespoons of filing. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce.
Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with
parsley, paprika and remaining Swiss cheese.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving: 3 stuffed shells Calories: 274 Fat: 7 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 26 mg Sodium: 703 mg Carbohydrate: 30 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 23 g Diabetic Exchange: 2 lean meat, 2 starch.
WW points per serving: 6