Herbed cheese-stuffed shells

8
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 22 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
57 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Difficult
Rich and comforting, these creamy, cheesy, stuffed shells get topped with a homemade tomato sauce. If you like, you can stir in a 5-ounce package of chopped baby spinach into the filling for some extra color and to add an extra vegetable to this main dish. You can use a spoon to stuff the filling into the shells or, to make quick work of it, you can put the filling in a zip-top plastic bag, cut off one corner, and pipe it into the shells. Serve this for a weeknight dinner, a potluck supper, or a gathering of friends and family. It’s sure to be a hit.

Ingredients

Uncooked jumbo shells

16 shell(s)

Fat free ricotta cheese

15 oz

Part skim mozzarella cheese

½ cup(s), shredded, shredded

1% low fat buttermilk

2 Tbsp

Egg

1 large egg(s), beaten

Onion

¼ cup(s), chopped, yellow, chopped

Ground oregano

2 tsp, or other Italian seasoning

Table salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, coarsely ground

Garlic

3 clove(s), peeled

Onion

1 medium, sliced

Tomato

6 medium, yellow, chopped

Carrots

1 medium, grated

Table wine

½ cup(s), dry, white

Fresh basil

1 Tbsp, chopped

Red pepper flakes

tsp

Instructions

  1. Cook the shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse briefly under cold running water to stop the cooking.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, buttermilk, egg, yellow onion, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; press in the garlic with a garlic press. Stuff 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each shell and set in the baking dish.
  3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then spray with nonstick spray. Add the white onion and sauté until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes, carrot, wine, basil and crushed red pepper. Still stirring occasionally, cook down to form a thick sauce, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour over the shells and spread evenly. Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbling, about 30 minutes.