Chicken & Spinach Shells

Who can resist a good cheesy chicken and pasta dish? These cheesy chicken & spinach pasta shells are packed with 4 different cheeses, chunks of roasted chicken, fresh spinach, onions and garlic. The lower calorie version (minus the chicken) follows the video. If you are short of time you could use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket!

 

Lower Calorie Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and spinach topped with a turkey meat sauce are very satisfying, three are more than enough to fill you up, or two with a salad on the side. A perfect dish if you have company as this makes a large amount, or you can bake half and freeze the rest for another night.

Ingredients

• 27 (9 oz) Barilla Jumbo Shells
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 32 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• 16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Method

1. Boil water and cook shells according to package directions,
   make sure to make them al dente.
2. Saute onions and garlic in oil.
3. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces.
4. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, then simmer on low, covered, about 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375°.
6. In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.
7. Once shells are cooked and cool, fill each shell with (about 2 heaping tbsp) cheese mixture and place on a large baking dish, or two smaller dishes, covering the bottom of the dish with a little sauce.
8. Top shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover foil and bake 5 more minutes.
9. Serve with additional sauce on top.

Serves 9  – Serving size: 3 stuffed shells – Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 361, Fat: 13g, Protein: 28g, Carbohydrate: 34g, Fibre: 3g