Baked Stuffed Shells

I found this recipe on Pinterest the other day and decided to try it. I was out of tomato sauce, but luckily I was talking to Lisa and she’s a genius and told me to use Prego sauce. ;) Thanks Lis, never thought of that. Haha! I also switched it up a bit. The original recipe is for diabetics and if you’d like that recipe, you can find the link below. I also used Ricotta cheese instead of the tofu and a fresh egg instead of frozen or refrigerated egg product. I messed up and accidentally put in a Tablespoon of dried basil when it only called for ½ tsp, but it was still amazing!

Hope you like it!

Baked Stuffed Shells

(Makes 12 shells)

Ingredients:

o    1 tsp Olive Oil

o    ½ C Onion

o    2 Cloves Garlic, minced (I think I did 2 tsp. of minced garlic)

o    1 14½ ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

o    18 ounce can tomato sauce (I used prego 2¼ C)

o    1 TBSP snipped fresh basil OR ½ tsp. dried basil, crushed

o    2 tsp snipped fresh oregano or ½ tsp dried oregano, crushed

o    ¼ tsp salt

o    12 dried jumbo shell macaroni

o    1½ - 1¾ C Ricotta Cheese

o    1 egg lightly beaten

o    ½ C finely shredded Parmesan or Romano Cheese (I used Parmesan)

o    ¼ tsp ground black pepper

o    ½ C shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

o    2 TBSP shredded fresh basil (optional)

For sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir about 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Carefully add undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano (if using), and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove from heat. Set aside 3/4 cup of the sauce; spoon the remaining sauce into a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.

For filling:

3. Mix together Ricotta Cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, and pepper until smooth. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling into each pasta shell. Arrange filled shells, filling sides up, atop sauce in baking dish. Spoon the reserved 3/4 cup sauce over top.

4. Bake, covered, about 35 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, top with shredded fresh basil.

You can find the original recipe HERE.