These slenderized stuffed pasta shells in a spicy marinara sauce are filled with tender cod, colorful kale, and salty parmesan cheese.
Mike loves seafood pasta swimming in sauce, while I could skip pasta altogether. This is why you'll only find my go-to pasta recipes in my recipe collection. But if I'm going to the effort to make a pasta dish to please my wonderful hubby, then it's going to be as healthy as I can make it.
This healthier spin on a typical stuffed pasta shell dish gets rid of calorie culprits like high-fat meats, heavy cheeses, and creamy sauces. Instead, I used a light and meaty cod and chopped kale to give the filling substance delicate flavor.
Jarred marinara sauce replaced Mr. Mike's beloved cream sauce, and in my opinion, added loads more flavor for far fewer calories and fat! I prefer Newman's Own brand, but you can use any jarred sauce with the lowest sugar and sodium count you can find on the shelves.
Low-fat cottage cheese and shredded parmesan add a cheesy appeal and creamy texture. The cottage cheese is a trick I learned back in my Weight Watchers days and is definitely a keeper.
Looks pretty darn good, doesn't it? Mike dubbed these seafood stuffed pasta shells "company worthy" so you can bet they're going into my limited pasta recipe repertoire!
Shake It Up!Try any white fish in these stuffed pasta shells, though I think tilapia might fall apart too much. If you have leftover cooked chicken, it would be an appetizing alternative to seafood. Try spinach or finely chopped broccoli florets if kale isn't a family favorite.
Congratulations to Lisa who won our "Say It With Krusteaz" prize pack." I'm sending your email off to Krusteaz, so you should be hearing from them soon!
20 minsPrep Time
45 minsCook Time
1 hr, 5 sTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 ounces cod fillets, cubed
- 28 ounces marinara sauce, low sugar
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese, small curd
- 1 cup parmesan cheese , divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook shells according to package directions, but test to make sure they are al dente, not completely cooked through. You want them to be firm as the will continue to cook in the oven. Drain shells and allow to cool.
- In a non-stick skillet add chicken broth over medium high heat with shallots and garlic. Cook 3 - 5 minutes stirring often, then add cod with 1/2 cup marinara and cook another 3 - 5 minutes until cod is just tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- When cod mixture is cooled, add cottage cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, then toss to combine.
- Wipe the pan you used to cook the cod clean, the add 1/2 the remaining sauce to the bottom of the pan. Fill shells with cod mixture and place in the pan. Top the shells with the remaining sauce and parmesan cheese and bake for 20 - 25 minutes in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Notes
http://motherrimmy.com/stuffed-pasta-shells-recipe-cod-kale-parmesan-cheese/If you like this, then you'll love these!