I came up with the idea for this recipe on a day when I had planned to make traditional stuffed shells for dinner but realized what I had in my pantry was the little pasta shells and not the big shells for stuffing. Grrrrr. I had bought all the other ingredients at the store earlier that day, and I was determined to make it work anyway. So I decided to do an inside-out/casserole version, and I have to say, it turned out truly fantastic. I may never go back to making traditional stuffed shells again!
It was a lot faster and less tedious than stuffing shells. Each big and hearty portion is just 8 Points – not bad for a dish made with pasta and three different types of cheese. The whole family loved it, and it made for great leftovers. Definitely, a Weight Watchers Casserole Recipe to add to your repertoire. Enjoy!
Stuffed Shells Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz whole wheat pasta shells
- 24 oz marinara sauce - 1 jar
- 15 oz part-skim ricotta - 1 container
- 9 oz frozen spinach - 1 package (thawed and squeezed dry)
- 1 egg whites
- 1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese - shredded
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 4-6 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta shells, then add in the marinara sauce and mix.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg white, spinach, garlic, parmesan, parsley, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Mix 1/3 of the ricotta mixture with pasta.
- Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonfat cooking spray or an olive oil mister. Place 1/2 of the pasta into the prepared baking dish.
- Drop spoonfuls of the remaining ricotta mixture evenly on top of the pasta shells. Top with remaining pasta shells.
- Sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella.
- Cover with foil, poking a few holes for steam, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. Remove foil, and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted, and bubbling.
