It's hard to find tasty yet good for you dishes. I think you'll like this one. It's creamy and full of flavor. To make it even more healthy you could use wheat or whole grain pasta shells.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup grated cheese, parmesan and romano
1 tspb black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/2 Tbs Olive oil
1 cup shredded, part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
16 oz nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme
16 jumbo macaroni shells
1/2 cup onions, peeled, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
3 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup zucchini, unpeeled and chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
Directions:
1. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon hot water to a boil over high heat. When water boils, sprinkle in 4 tsp. salt. Add pasta shells and cook until al dente, or according to package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain in colander and cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with nonfat cooking spray.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions, cooking about 3 minutes. Mixture should be golden and almost translucent. Add broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms, cooking and stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with nonfat cooking spray.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions, cooking about 3 minutes. Mixture should be golden and almost translucent. Add broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms, cooking and stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cottage cheese, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
5. Add cooled vegetables to cheese mixture. Add black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes and mix well.
6. Cover bottom of prepared pan with 1 cup of the diced tomatoes or pasta sauce.
7. Stuff each shell with about 2 1/2 Tbsp. of the cheese-vegetable mixture. Place stuffed shells on top of tomatoes in pan. Cover with remaining 2 cups of tomatoes, then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella on top.
8. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Shells and top layer of cheese should be pale gold. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Source: Courtesy of Hannaford Fresh Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008
5. Add cooled vegetables to cheese mixture. Add black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes and mix well.
6. Cover bottom of prepared pan with 1 cup of the diced tomatoes or pasta sauce.
7. Stuff each shell with about 2 1/2 Tbsp. of the cheese-vegetable mixture. Place stuffed shells on top of tomatoes in pan. Cover with remaining 2 cups of tomatoes, then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella on top.
8. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Shells and top layer of cheese should be pale gold. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Source: Courtesy of Hannaford Fresh Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008
