Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

This recipe for Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce has become one of my favorite Italian dinner recipes.  Big jumbo pasta shells filled with spinach and creamy ricotta cheese make the base for the recipe.  I like to finish this recipe with my Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce but you could easily top this recipe with a homemade sauce or a reduced-sugar spaghetti sauce bought at the grocery store.

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

• 1 box Barilla Jumbo Shells Pasta
• 1 10 oz bag frozen spinach
• 8 ounces Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
• 10 Servings Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add pasta shells to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until almost al dente.  
3. Drain pasta shells and spread pasta shells onto a sheet of wax paper to dry.
4. Place spinach in microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes as directed on package.
5. Drain spinach and make sure to remove all of the moisture from spinach until it is dry.
6. In a medium sized bowl, mix spinach, fat-free ricotta cheese,  Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
7. Using a 9×13 casserole dish, spoon a small amount of Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce to cover the bottom of dish.
8. Next, fill pasta shells with spinach mixture by using a spoon to place mixture inside each pasta shell.
9. Place filled pasta shells face up into casserole dish.
10. Top filled pasta shells with Skinny Spaghetti Meat Sauce and sprinkle reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese on top.
11. Heat pasta shells in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.

Nutrition Info (3 stuffed shells with meat sauce): Calories: 323.4, Fat: 7.2g, Carbohydrates: 48.1g, Protein: 22g, Fiber: 5.1g, Sugars: 11.3g