Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells w// Marinara Sauce

It has been awhile since my last posting. Not because I haven't been cooking, but because I haven't come up with any recipes that I felt were blog worthy!

Tonight the dry spell came to an end. And the winning dish is this Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta dish. All I can say is, Yummy!

So, without further ado, here is the recipe.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells:

Ingredients:

12-14 jumbo pasta shells

10 oz. frozen spinach, chopped. (Swiss Chard would work well, too)

2 cups low fat cottage cheese, drained

2 egg whites

4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp. fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

pepper to taste

2 plus cups Marinara sauce - see recipe below

Directions:

Prepare pasta shells according to package directions, drain and cover with cold water so they don't dry out.

Drain the spinach thoroughly. I like to simply squeeze it out with my hands.

In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, pour 1 cup of marinara sauce.

Combine spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, egg whites, garlic powder and pepper. Stuff the spinach/cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining marinara sauce.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - or until bubbling.

Marinara Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

6 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup vegetable broth

Directions:

In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. (If you prefer a smooth sauce with no tomato chucks, you could put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor first.

Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tip: Make a double or triple batch and put the extra in containers in the freezer for another meal. The sauce taste even better after all the flavors have had a chance to marry. It is a nice light sauce that is great over angel hair pasta as well.

As always, be kind and eat well!

Enjoy.