Guiltless Oven-Baked Pasta

So we all know how absolutely yummy and delicious a nice plate of lasagna or baked rigatoni is with its layers of meat, tomato sauce and cheese. However, we also know how extremely full and guilty we may feel after eating it. In an effort to eat more healthy and get all the guilty pleasures of a baked pasta without the guilt, I have invented my own baked pasta that will leave you satisfied but feeling light and far from guilty. In this dish, I take away the fattening cheese and the greasy ground beef but keep the flavor and fulfillment in tact.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Servings: 4

150 grams of large pasta shells

500 grams of ground chicken breast

1 medium-sized brown or white onion diced

1 large carrot diced

1 cup and half of frozen spinach

1 cup of chicken broth

1 bottle of store-bought tomato sauce (I make this from scratch but you can buy the bottle since everything else is very time consuming)

salt, black pepper, olive oil

First, bring one pot of water to a boil for the pasta shells. Once it is boiling, throw the pasta shells in (with a little salt). For the pasta shells, make sure to cook them al dente. If the package says 14 minutes, cook it for 12 minutes and then remove. Once you drain the water from the pasta, rinse the pasta through with cold water and set aside.

If you are unfortunate like me and cannot find a butcher who will grind up chicken breast for you, then go ahead and buy whole chicken breast and put it in another pot of boiling water. You can cut them into smaller pieces to cook more quickly. Once they are cooked through, remove and cut/shred into tiny pieces to be used for the stuffing and set aside. Otherwise, if your local supermarket supplies ground chicken breast, then you are set and ready with this step.

Heat up a large pan and drizzle with oil. Then add the onion and carrot. Cook until the onion is translucent and then add the shredded chicken to the pan. Cook for another two minutes and then add the spinach. Cook for another minute and then add one cup of chicken broth and cook until the broth has evaporated. Add black pepper to taste. Then remove the stuffing from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool down.

In another pot you should have already heated up your tomato sauce. I personally do not like store-bought tomato sauce or do find that I have to add more for flavor. Based on your own preferences, add garlic, oregano, salt, basil, black pepper, etc. to taste as you like it.

Okay, now that everything has been prepped and cooked we are ready for stuffing. In a large casserole, pour a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the casserole. Then, start taking one shell at a time and spooning in the stuffing. Then place them nicely in rows in the casserole until you have finished stuffing all of them. Once you are done, pour another layer of tomato sauce on top to fully cover all the shells.

If you must have cheese, go ahead and grate some parmesan cheese on top since it is the least fattening (mozzarella is the best though....). Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes at 375° F.

Remove, serve, and enjoy! =)

I hope you like this recipe as much as my husband loves it!