I should be packing.. but I've got a recipe to post!!

I leave for Maine in 9 hours. But, I love this recipe so much. So I am going post it.

Okay, here it goes. A recipe with pictures. This is something I stole from "Cooking Yourself Thin" again.. but, that's okay! =)

Serves 10 Calories per serving: 331
Weight Watchers Points Per Serving- 4 shells=5 points

12 ounces (1 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 40 shells)

For the tomato sauce
1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
1 14-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh basil
Salt
Pepper

For the stuffing
1-pound bag baby spinach
Salt and pepper
4 oz. sliced ham
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups (16 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat, part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch grated nutmeg

1. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells, and partially cook 6 to 7 minutes — they should have started to become tender but will still be firm to the bite. Drain in a colander, and immediately transfer to the oiled baking sheet, spreading them out in a single layer so that they don’t stick together. Let cool.

2. For the sauce, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash with your hands, or pulse in food processor to chop. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (Check a few times during cooking; if vegetables begin to brown, add 2 teaspoons water and stir.) Add the tomatoes with juice, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently 5 minutes. Then simmer very gently, partially covered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Scrape into another container with a rubber spatula; set aside.

3. Add the spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Place over medium heat, cover and cook, tossing every now and then with tongs for even cooking, until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain, and let cool, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and chop. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

4. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring every now and then, until tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add scallions during the final 1 minute. Add to the bowl with the spinach. Add the ricotta, the ham, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the parsley, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg, and stir to combine.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of two 9-x-13-inch baking dishes. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 1 tablespoon per shell, and arrange the shells side by side in a single layer in the prepared dishes. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, and then sprinkle each with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.

7. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes.

This recipe is GOOD!! I love pasta...and cheese... so ... this was GREAT! And so low in points. I could only eat 4 shells. They are pretty big!


So first I boiled the shells..


Then I started to hand mash the tomatoes

so yummy..

This was what it looked like all mashed and simmering with fresh basil...mmmmm!
So, I have my shells, my sauce, and in the back I was cooking spinach until wilted.Now I decided to check back on the sauce after 20 minutes of simmering..


The green onions are cooking...

Here is the ricotta cheese, spinach, green onion, parsley, pepper, nutmeg, ham mixture
This is what it looks like all stirred up and ready to be packed into the shells
All packed into the shells with sauce on bottom and sprinkled Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. Ready to be baked.
Hope this interests some of you!! If you try it, let me know how you like it. It was a huge hit with my BF.

Next time I will write about a chocolate cake that I recently tried. I will be posting from Maine from now on since I leave in a few hours. I have to be up at 430am!! AHH! I better get packing!!

Til then,

Karla =)