I don't know if is obvious or not, but when I cook, I like to make meals in larger quantities. There are two reasons for this. 1) B eats a lot. A normal serving usually won't cut it. 2) I love to have left-overs on hand for B to take for lunch, or for the kids and I to eat. One less meal I have to worry about.
Stuffed shells is one of those meals. It is a little time and labor intensive, but it makes a ton, so there is a definite ROI on this meal.
If you need smaller quantities, these freeze great. Cover and freeze in the pan before baking, then thaw and bake as directed. Done and done.
Spinach Stuffed Shells
Makes 8 servings
300 cals / 9g fat / 38g carbs / 21g protein
1 batch
Marinara Sauce (Or 1 jar. It is ok, I won't judge you. I do it too).
1 box jumbo shell pasta (you will have extras left-over)
1 10oz pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 container low-fat ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat over to 350. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach, then blot dry with towels. Mince onion, garlic, and parsley and combine with ricotta, grated parmesan, spinach, and egg, mixing well.
3. Spread a thin layer of marinara in bottom of 13x9 dish. Fill 24 shells with ricotta mixture. Top with additional marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with additional sauce if desired.
I don't know if is obvious or not, but when I cook, I like to make meals in larger quantities. There are two reasons for this. 1) B eats a lot. A normal serving usually won't cut it. 2) I love to have left-overs on hand for B to take for lunch, or for the kids and I to eat. One less meal I have to worry about.
Stuffed shells is one of those meals. It is a little time and labor intensive, but it makes a ton, so there is a definite ROI on this meal.
If you need smaller quantities, these freeze great. Cover and freeze in the pan before baking, then thaw and bake as directed. Done and done.
Spinach Stuffed Shells
Makes 8 servings
300 cals / 9g fat / 38g carbs / 21g protein
1 batch
Marinara Sauce (Or 1 jar. It is ok, I won't judge you. I do it too).
1 box jumbo shell pasta (you will have extras left-over)
1 10oz pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 container low-fat ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat over to 350. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach, then blot dry with towels. Mince onion, garlic, and parsley and combine with ricotta, grated parmesan, spinach, and egg, mixing well.
3. Spread a thin layer of marinara in bottom of 13x9 dish. Fill 24 shells with ricotta mixture. Top with additional marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with additional sauce if desired.
This looks SO good. I have almost all the ingredients except the huge shells.
ReplyDeleteMy appetite is pretty massive right now. I bet I could take B on!
Ha! That would be impressive....I think this s a challenge I would like to see!
DeleteI would watch this, because I'm fairly confident susanify would win (and to be fair, she may have been able to win several months ago too!)
DeleteI've been wanting to make stuffed shells for years - I don't know why I don't, because they're so yummy. I guess they just seem like so much work! But you're right, it does seem to pay off if you make a lot all at once.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't that bad, I guess. And anything that gives you this many 'meals" is worth the extra effort. But you are right, I don't make them often because I am always intimidated by all the time and different steps.
DeleteThis IS a perfect meal - I make it all the time, just not with shells but with cannelloni. Easy to make, perfect for left-overs or for freezing for later, perfect for guests (I usually make one half of the pan with spinach/ricotta and the other half with meat). It probably looks nicer with shells so will try this variant too.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by B's portion sizes, Michael is the same, it's amazing how much he eats ;-)
Ooooh....I was just thinking about manicotti. Sounds so good. I think that will be a dinner sometime in our near future.
DeleteAnd you know what is worse than how much they eat....how much they eat without gaining weight. I wish I had their metabolisms!