Healthier Vegetable Stuffed Shells

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I love pasta dishes but they aren’t very healthy.  Since I’ve been on a healthy eating kick I’ve been eating a lot of zoodles to help curb my pasta cravings.  It isn’t quite the same but it’s good and it saves me from eating a ton of pasta.

My problem with pasta is that once I start eating it I don’t stop.   I love it and I always tend to over eat it.  My go to dinner when I’m home by myself is buttered noodles with Parmesan cheese because it’s warm, comforting, and I like it.

So when I was looking for a pasta dish that was healthier I didn’t find what I wanted.   So I went searching my own house for something to make.  I had a box of shells in the basements and thought that if I could stuff them healthier then I normally do maybe I could cut the calories and fat.

I knew that in order to make them healthier I was going to have to add in a lot of vegetables.   Vegetables are healthy and low in both fat and calories.   I poured in the vegetables and mixed them with low fat ricotta cheese and then stuffed the shells with that.  I also cut the amount of cheese I normally put on top of shells by half.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the shells tasted and how filling they were.  They were full of vitamins and nutrients but tasted great.   These shells were just what I needed to curb with pasta craving.

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Vegetable Stuffed Shells

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Delicious vegetarian stuffed shells are filled with carrots, spinach, peppers, and ricotta cheese for a tasty and healthier shell.

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Ingredients

• 30 Jumbo pasta shells
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/2 c. broccoli, chopped
• 6 oz. spinach, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 c. low fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 4 c. pasta sauce
• 1 c. mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta shells according to the package directions. Drain and set the shells on a cookie sheet.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, pepper, onion, and broccoli to the pan and saute for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and garlic and cook for 5 additional minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour the vegetables into a large bowl and add in the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese and mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. Pour 1 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Put 2 tablespoons of the cheese and vegetable mix inside each shell and place it in the pan.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over top of the shells and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 additional minutes.
8. Remove from oven and enjoy.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original Recipe