Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

There's this silly trend that sometimes rears its ugly head of "Oh my god, carbs are bad, carbs make you fat!!" Um, no. This myth drives dieticians crazy. In every single nutrition class ever (or, at least, the accurate and well-taught ones), my professors have stressed, over and over again: carbohydrates are essential for life. We need carbohydrates like whole wheats, rices, and fruits to keep us moving and to provide us with the energy we need to live. And it's not carbs that make us fat-- it's calories. If you eat more calories than you burn off (whether that be in daily activities, workouts, or body functions), then you will most likely gain weight. Simple as that. If you eat 2000 calories of just protein and you only use up 1400 calories that day, you will have an excess of 600 calories. It's the exact same as eating 2000 calories of just carbohydrates when you only need 1400 calories. So why not eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, and fat?

Here's a hint: if you ever discover any type of elimination diet (ex: NO sugar EVER, NO carbs EVER, ONLY juices), then it's often not healthy and you shouldn't do it. There is a ton of nutrition information out there that is misleading and is only spread around to make people who aren't certified dieticians money. Don't fall for it. Repeat: everything in moderation. You can have sugar, you can have carbs, hell if you like juice then drink your juice-- but do it in moderation, and keep your diet varied.

I am a carb lover, so I can't go long without having some type of pasta. When I am craving something that is rich and warm with creamy cheesy-goodness, I gravitate towards stuffed pasta. It's pretty simple: blend savory tomato sauce with just the right amount of rich, creamy ricotta and delicate spinach. Baking pasta is a fantastic way to get a bubbly, creamy, warm dish.

Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Servings: 6           Serving Size: 3 shells (with the sauce)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2c. of your favorite low-sodium marinara, divided (my recipe:here)
• 3/4c. yellow onion, diced
• 10 ounces of frozen spinach 
• 2c. low fat ricotta
• 1/2c. skim Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2c grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2tsp dried oregano
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2c. fresh basil, cut into very thin strips. divided 
•  2 garlic cloves, minced
• 24 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Instructions:

1. Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray and evenly spread 3/4c. of the marinara on the bottom. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a small skillet, saute the onion in cooking spray for 3 minutes (until slightly cooked). Place in a large bowl and allow to cool slightly. 
4. Thaw spinach according to package directions, and then squeeze out the moisture. Place in the same bowl as the onion.
5. In the same bowl and the onion and spinach, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan,  oregano, salt, pepper, egg, 1/4c. basil, and garlic. Make sure to thoroughly combine.
6. Stuff about 2 tablespoons of filling into each shell, and place them open-side down in the baking dish from step one. Pour the remaining marinara evenly over the shells, and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Remove and garnish with the remaining 1/4c. basil. Devour!

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 498 mg
Total Fat: 10g
         Saturated: 5g
         Trans: 0g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 18g
Calories: 319