Danas Healthy Stuffed Shells Recipes

THE BEST STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• For the marinara sauce: Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, add the basil and dried oregano, partially cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 45 minutes.
• Remove the basil sprig. If the sauce is still too chunky, mash the larger chunks of tomato with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• For the shells and filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the dried pasta shells cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly but not cooked. (The pasta shells should flexible enough to be filled but remain very al dente; they will continue to cook during baking.) Drain, then run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well again.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and egg in a large bowl until well combined and uniform. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a large disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag (or use a spoon for filling directly from the bowl).
• Spread 2 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Snip off the end of the pastry bag and squeeze the filling into the shells one at a time. Arrange the shells open-side up in a tight single layer in the baking dish as you fill them. Top with the remaining marinara sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the shells until the sauce is bubbling throughout and the filling is heated through, about 35 minutes.
• Remove the foil from the pan and continue to bake for 10 more minutes to reduce the sauce. Let cool slightly before serving. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

MAKE-AHEAD UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer on medium heat 2 min., stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Whisk cream cheese spread, milk and Parmesan in large bowl until well blended. Add pasta and basil; stir gently until pasta is evenly coated. Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake casserole, covered, 40 to 45 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

DANA'S HEALTHY STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl mix your tofu, cheese and egg white. Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil until tender, add seasonings. Remove from heat. Add the drained spinach, mix. Mix in the cheese mixture.
• 2. Spoon cheese and veggie mixture into the shells.
• 3. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, add 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom, top with your shells, add another 1/2 cup of sauce. You can add more or less of the sauce to suit your own tastes. Top with a little more cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. You can remove the foil in the last stages of baking if the cheese has not melted completely. Enjoy!

SPINACH AND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
• Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of Parmesan.

HEALTHY STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Prepare pasta according to package directions but reduce cooking time by a few minutes; drain.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and then add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and artichokes. Cover and simmer another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella.
• Fill shells with mixture and divide among 8 individual baking dishes coated with Pam. Spoon sauce over each portion. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

SALAD STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until chilled.
• Combine salami, romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion in a large bowl; pour balsamic vinaigrette dressing over salad and toss to coat. Stuff pasta shells with lettuce mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

CLASSIC STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread so that it is evenly coatedIn a medium bowl.
• Place the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of Italian blend cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
• Fill each pasta shell with the cheese mixture and place, open side up, in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top of the sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the baking dish then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to turn light brown in color.
• Garnish with parsley, then serve warm.

EASY THREE CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Prepare marinara sauce. In a medium skillet, heat olive-oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds until fragrant. Add tomato puree, sugar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened.
• When done, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F (180C). Grease a 8 X 12 inch (20x30cm) baking dish with olive oil or melted butter ( 9×13 inch dish works as well).
• While you prepare the marinara sauce, cook the pasta in salted water with 3-4 minutes less than package instructions, in my case for 11 minutes.
• In a medium bowl mix together ricotta cheese with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, fresh basil and oregano, beaten egg, salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
• Using a spoon or simply a piping bag fill each shell with the ricotta mixture.
• Spread half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan.
• Arrange the filled shells over the sauce.
• Top the shells with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
• In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs with melted butter.
• Spread breadcrumbs over the top.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Uncover the pan and bake for 15 minutes more. If necessary, broil for a few minutes until the cheese has the desired golden brown look.
• Decorate with fresh basil and enjoy!