Skinny Italian Stuffed Shells, a Vegetarian Delight Recipe
What a great dish for Meatless Monday or any day of the week…You’ll never miss the meat in this dreamy, cheesy dish. These little shells are stuffed with a combination of reduced-fat cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, onions and garlic. For ease, they’re topped with my favorite jarred pasta sauce. The skinny for each serving of 3 shells is 273 calories, 5 grams of fat and 7 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. Just yummy!
Ingredients
- 12 jumbo pasta shells (4 ounces), I used Barilla jumbo shells
- ½ slice whole wheat or multi-grain bread to make homemade bread crumbs (about â cup whole wheat dry breadcrumbs) I used Miltonâs Multigrain bread
- 1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1¼ cups onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced (~2 cloves)
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1¼ cups reduced-fat cottage cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1½ cups jarred pasta sauce, I love Classico Tomato Basil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9â baking dish with cooking spay and set aside.
- Cook shells in a large pot of boiling water, stirring often and cook until just tender, according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- In the meantime, in a blender, add ½ slice bread, including crust. Grind into crumbs. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions are soft. Stir in thawed spinach and mix well. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Stir in the cooked onions and spinach. Stir in the egg white. Season with Italian seasonings and fresh ground pepper, to taste.
- Stuff each of the cooked shells with a generous 2 tablespoons of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread ½ cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9â baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer, 3 rows of 5 shells. Top the shells with remaining 1 cup sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1½ tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the shells are heated through. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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Adding to Planner
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 187g | |
| Recipe makes 4 servings | |
| Calories 132 | |
| Calories from Fat 49 | 37% |
| Total Fat 5.56g | 7% |
| Saturated Fat 2.01g | 8% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 15mg | 5% |
| Sodium 353mg | 15% |
| Potassium 390mg | 11% |
| Total Carbs 9.96g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.8g | 9% |
| Sugars 4.17g | 3% |
| Protein 11.93g | 19% |
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Comments
February 28, 2012Serving Tip
Serve with a simple salad or vegetable such as, my recipe for Simple and Delicious Roasted Asparagus. To make this dinner even heartier, start off the meal with a cup of soup.
Weight Watchers (old points) 5
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 7
SKINNY FACTS: for 3 shells
273 calories, 5g fat, 21g protein, 39g carbs, 5g fiber, 712mg sodium, 6g sugar
