Mushroom Spinach Stuffed Shells

I missed last week because I was on vacation. I had planned on cooking and posting from my aunt's house in Florida, but Carrabba's Italian Grill got in the way. And for a chain restaurant it was pret-tay pret-tay good.

While there I picked up a copy of Food Network Magazine's Cheese Issue. As a self-proclaimed cheese fiend, it only seem appropriate that my next post come from the mag. They had a section presenting a single dish two ways: light and rich. I choose the light option, but only because my husband preferred mushrooms over the sausage being offered in the rich version. And then I made it unhealthy because that's how I roll. Lots and lots of cheese. Oodles in fact. Yummy dairy goodness.

The recipe calls for a 10 oz package of frozen spinach. You can do that, but I didn't think I'd have time to thaw the spinach so instead I bought two 8 oz packages of fresh spinach that I cooked down until the moisture was gone with garlic, marjoram, butter and a slight sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.  And of course the other change I made was to up the cheese factor to heart-attack level. Otherwise I followed the recipe below. It was delicious. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Mushroom-Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

For the stuffed shells:

Kosher salt8 ounces (20 to 24) jumbo pasta shells2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling and brushing1 small onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, minced12 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry1 1/2 cups low-fat small-curd cottage cheese1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese1 large egg, lightly beaten1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

For the sauces:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced1 teaspoon fennel seedsLarge pinch of red pepper flakes1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by handKosher salt1/4 cup low-fat small-curd cottage cheese1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Make the stuffed shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until slightly softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with olive oil and toss; set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 more minutes. Add the spinach and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely.

Finely chop the spinach-mushroom mixture and combine in a bowl with the cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, then rinse out the can with 1 cup water and add to the skillet; add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the skillet and rinse out the blender.

Make the cheese sauce: Combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan and egg in the blender and puree until smooth.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil and pour in half of the tomato sauce. Add the stuffed shells, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes; uncover and continue baking until bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes. Turn on the broiler; drizzle the shells with the cheese sauce and broil, about 2 minutes.

See you next week!