Pasta Shells With Zucchini Spinach Food

JUMBO SHELLS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND CORN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat grapeseed oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add spinach, corn, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper. Cook until spinach and corn are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta shells. Fill with corn-spinach mixture. Place shells back into the same deep skillet and cover with diced tomatoes. Mix tomato paste and warm water together and pour onto shells.
• Cover and cook on medium heat until tomatoes are heated through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with dried cilantro.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

CHERYL'S SPINACH CHEESY PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, and cook the spinach 4 to 6 minutes, until tender.
• Place the cooked pasta in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and bread crumbs.
• Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish, and cover with another 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella. Layer with remaining pasta mixture, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
• Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

PASTA SHELLS WITH ZUCCHINI & SPINACH

Steps:

• FILLING: Melt butter over medium heat in a large, heavy dutch oven.
• Add onions& garlic; cook until onions are tender& wilted, stirring occasionally.
• PREPARE ZUCCHINI: Wash well, taste a bit of the skin from each& peel only if it tastes bitter.
• Grate& place in a colander in the sink.
• sprinkle with about 2 tsps of salt& let excess liquid drain for 30 minutes.
• Rinse with cold water to remove most of the salt& then toss on a clean tea towel (or paper towels) to dry before cooking.
• Add drained zucchini to dutch oven& cook until any moisture evaporates.
• PREPARE SPINACH: Wash well& trim off tough stems.
• Place leaves, with water from washing still clinging to them, in a large pot.
• Cook for a few minutes or just until leaves have wilted.
• Let cool, then wring dry in a clean tea towel& chop.
• Add spinach to the dutch oven and combine thoroughly.
• Remove from heat& allow the mixture to cool.
• Drain off excess liquid.
• Beat eggs in a medium sized bowl; add ricotta& beat until smooth.
• Add Parmesan and seasonings; mix well.
• Combine with vegetable mixture in the dutch oven, mix thoroughly; set aside.
• SAUCE: Melt butter in large, heavy pot; cook onions& garlic until tender and wilted.
• Add tomatoes, including their liquid, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
• Cook for 30- 45 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
• Purée and test for seasonings.
• Set aside.
• Pasta: Cook shells in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions until"el dente".
• Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking.
• Using a colander, gently shake shells to drain excess water.
• Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
• Spoon some of the filling into each shell& arrange, stuffed side up, in the casserole dish.
• Pour sauce over the shells& sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• (If you can only find small shells, just layer them on the bottom of the casserole dish, cover with a layer of filling, a layer of sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan).
• Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until heated through and bubbling.

CREAMY ZUCCHINI AND SPINACH PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, cook and stir onions in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 3 to 4 min. or until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms; cook 3 to 4 min. or until zucchini is crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add half the spinach; cook 2 to 3 min. or just until wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta. Add to vegetable mixture in skillet along with the pasta sauce, ricotta, Italian seasoning and 1 cup mozzarella; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining mozzarella.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until casserole is heated through and mozzarella is melted.

PASTA SHELLS WITH LENTILS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook lentils, carrot, and celery leaves in 1 quart water for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Drain the lentils, and reserve the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and thyme, and sautee for 10-12 minutes.
• Add the lentils to the skillet along with 1 cup of the reserved broth. Squeeze excess moisture from the spinach before adding to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat while pasta cooks.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with lentil sauce. Add more lentil broth if too dry. Add parsley and serve with grated Parmesan (or nutritional yeast) if desired.

TUNA-ZUCCHINI PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook the shells until al dente, set aside to cool.
• Pre-heat oven to 200°C and oil a 9in x 13in casserole dish.
• Clean the zucchini, finely dice it and in 1 tablespoon of olive oil lightly sauté the zucchini in a pan. (Best to start this after the pasta is done so the shells are cool enough to handle by the time you have to fill them.).
• Drain the tuna, flake it, and mix the tuna into the zucchini.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill the shells with the tuna-zucchini mixture and put in the casserole dish.
• Peel the garlic and press garlic with a garlic press.
• Finely chop chili if you aren't using prechopped chilis.
• Saute the chili and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.
• Seed and dice tomatoes, add tomatoes and a small amount of juice from can to the pan, stir and let cook for a minute.
• Add crème fraîche to the pan, stir, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes, until hot.
• Pour sauce over the shells.
• Sprinkle cheese over the casserole dish.
• Put in oven uncovered and bake for 25 minutes.

ZUCCHINI & RICOTTA SHELLS

Steps:

• In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• In a large bowl, toss together pasta, ricotta, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and half of the reserved cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, quarter each zucchini lengthwise. With knife, cut away core; cut on bias into slices.
• In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute zucchini until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to pasta, along with mint, green onion, lemon juice, and enough cooking liquid for desired creaminess, tossing to coat.

ZUCCHINI AND SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in zucchini and coat in the olive oil. Pour in tomato sauce and water. Season with oregano, basil, and red pepper. Dissolve sugar in the sauce. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix sauce and cooked past shells. Top with cheese to serve.

CREAMY ZUCCHINI & SPINACH RIGATONI

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 375ºF.
• COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt.
• MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 minute or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Add flour and seasonings; cook and stir 1 minute Stir in broth; cook and stir 2 to 3 minute or until thickened. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 2 to 3 minute or until melted.
• DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add zucchini mixture, spinach, Parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella; mix lightly. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining mozzarella.
• BAKE 10 minute or until mozzarella is melted.
• Preparing Perfect Pasta: Follow the package directions to ensure that enough water is used for cooking the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (tender but still a little firm to the bite), stirring frequently. To prevent pasta from sticking, add it slowly to plenty of boiling water and stir frequently while cooking. Adding oil to the cooking water is not recommended because some sauces may not cling to pasta coated with oil.
• Serving Suggestion: Serve with fresh fruit and a side salad to round out the meal.
• Nutrition Information Per Serving: 330 calories, 13g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 40mg cholesterol, 450mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 3g sugars, 18g protein, 45%DV vitamin A, 15%DV vitamin C, 35%DV calcium, 15%DV iron.