Pasta Shells Casserole

I saw Rachel Ray do this recipe on her show!  I, like her, am a lover of stuffed pasta shells but hate stuffing the shells!!  She came up with a brilliant way of getting all of the stuffed shells taste without the fuss of stuffing the shells!!  And it is DELICIOUS!!

I also made a couple of changes to help it to be healthier and drop those ww points a bit more!

I have my alterations in the recipe below.  Following this recipe below will yield you about 10 ww points a serving (which for a pasta dish – that ain’t bad!!)  (per serving is approx 562 calories, 17.5 grams of fat and 10 grams of fiber)

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
• 1 large or 2 small to medium onions, finely chopped, divided
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram, half a palmful
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 palmful
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed by pressing under flat of your knife
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 5 to 6 sprigs
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white or red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 28-ounce cans Italian crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound medium or large shell pasta (not extra-large stuffing shells)   (I used whole wheat pasta shells…my nutritional information above was figured using this)
• about 20 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in clean towel
• Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced fat grated parmesan cheese, plus some to pass at table
• 1/2 cup egg beaters
• Yields: Serves 7-8 servings

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Preparation

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 3/4 of finely chopped onion and the carrot. Season with salt, pepper, oregano or marjoram, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and thyme, and gently sauté 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in parsley, stir, then add wine and reduce a minute. Add stock and tomatoes, bring sauce up to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce 45 minutes.

After sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375˚F.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta 5 minutes.

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onion and sauté to soften, 5 minutes. Add spinach, pulling it apart and separating it as you add it to pan. Stir to combine well and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat.

Drain undercooked pasta and return it to the hot pot. Add spinach mixture to pot along with ricotta and grated Parm. Stir to combine, adjust salt and pepper then add eggs and stir.

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill dish with pasta then top with another thin layer of red sauce. Save remaining sauce to pass at table. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve casserole directly from casserole dish, passing extra sauce and cheese at the table.