Makeover Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1 Italian turkey sausage link (4 ounces), casing removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1-1/2 cups 4% cottage cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• 24 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
• SAUCE:
• 3 cans (8 ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Crumble beef and sausage into a large nonstick skillet; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, ricotta and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella, cottage cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, Italian seasoning, pepper and cinnamon if desired; mix well.
• Stuff pasta shells with meat mixture. Arrange in two 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Combine the sauce ingredients; spoon over shells.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Makeover Cheese-Stuffed Shells published in Healthy Cooking April/May 2008, p12