Friday, February 4, 2011

Meatless Fridays

Diabetics shouldn't have pasta, but every now and then I absolutely CRAVE it! This week's recipe is nice because you still get a nice taste of pasta without eating a whole bowl of the stuff! Serve with a big salad and you've got a very filling and comforting meal. This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Spinach Stuffed Shells



1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 tsp salt
2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
15-20 jumbo pasta shells

Boil pasta shells according to box, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ricotta cheese and egg together until combined then mix in cottage cheese. In a medium skillet over a med-high heat, saute your chopped spinach, onions and garlic and salt. Cook until onions are translucent and spinach is wilted down (about 5 minutes)then let mixture cool for a few minutes. Mix spinach and onion into ricotta cheese mixture until combined and stuff shells.
In a large baking pan, pour a thin layer of tomato sauce and oregano on the bottom of the pan. Lay stuffed shells side by side and top with extra sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes.


6 comments:

Therese said...

Going to bookmark this one. It sounds delicious.

Anonymous said...

JoAnn, could you give us an idea how much spinach you needed to make the 2 cups of fresh spinach? It cooks down so much I have no idea how much to pick or buy. This recipe sure looks good! I sure want to try it. Sarah

Anonymous said...

Oh! !! I reread the recipe again and if I have it righ you put the fresh spinach in the measure Then cook it. But again I wonder how much makes up that much for the measure? Sorry for the wonderment!!! :) :) Sarah

JoAnnC. said...

@Sarah-you could use one box of frozen chopped spinach (just defrost and drain well) or just pack fresh spinach leaves into a 2 cup measure. It really doesn't have to be specific with the spinach, use as little or as much as you like! You should be able to get plenty out of a bag of baby spinach with enough leftover for a salad!

Anonymous said...

Thanks JoAnn....it tasted G-r-e-a-t!!!! Sarah

lastdogz said...

My husband & I made this tonight with frozen spinach. We used one box but increased the ricotta and cottage cheese a little. They came out great! Thanks for the recipe.