Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Shells – Vegetarian
This is a great way to get extra veggies in your diet, or a great recipe for my vegetarian friends.
Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Shells
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 (10 ounce) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 cups shredded carrots
1 zucchini, julienned (1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow squash, julieened (1 ½ cups)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 (8 oz) container ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound jumbo pasta shells, cooked
1 (25.5 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions:
Spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Place oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions about 5 minutes or until just starting to brown. Add squash, zucchini, spinach, carrots and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. In a large mixing bowl mix together ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Fold cooled vegetables into cheese mixture. Fill shells with mixture. Each shell should hold about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Place shells in the baking dish. Cover shells with the spaghetti sauce and top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
