Kale & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Name: Kale & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Prep time: 20

5 out of 5 stars (based on 13 reviews)

20 min prep

8 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

11 ingredients

These Baked Kale & Ricotta Stuffed Shells are easy to make too: stuff them, pour over some lycopene-rich Quick Tomato Sauce, sprinkle with cheese and bake. Lycopene, found in tomatoes, is a cancer preventing...

1 pound kale leaves, washed and stems removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt, to taste
12 ounces whole wheat jumbo pasta shells (see Chef Tips)
2 teaspoons olive oil
10-ounces (1¼ cup) ricotta cheese
1 cup basil leaves packed
1 large egg
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated, 2 tablespoons reserved for topping
4 cups Quick Tomato Sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

437 cals

Fat

18 g

Saturated Fat

10 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

6 g

Carbohydrates

46 g

Sugar

7 g

Fiber

5 g

Protein

25 g

Sodium

1002 mg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9- by 12-inch baking tray.
Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold water and ice. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drop in the kale leaves and garlic cloves and boil for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the kale leaves and garlic cloves and drop them into the prepared ice water.
Bring the same pot of water to boil and add in the pasta. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes less than package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
Meanwhile, drain the kale and squeeze out the excess water. Coarsely chop, then blend the chopped kale with the garlic cloves, ricotta, salt, basil leaves, egg, and parmesan cheese. Fill the pasta shells with a scant 1 tablespoon of the kale ricotta mixture and place in the prepared baking pan.
Top the stuffed shells with the Quick Tomato Sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and the reserved Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is turning golden brown. Serve hot.

Chef Tips

This is a perfect use for any Quick Tomato Sauce stashed in the freezer. Don’t defrost, it will lose nutrients, just heat it up in a small pan before using.

Whole Wheat Jumbo shells can be hard to find consistently. Since these shells are stuffed with fiber rich kale, go ahead and make them with regular jumbo pasta shells if the wholewheat prove too hard to find. Medium size whole wheat shells can be found from DeLallo on Amazon. The shells will get filled if tossed together with the filling, but the dish will end up more like ziti.

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, and videos are reviewed by our oncology-trained dietitians to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society

Kale & Ricotta Stuffed Shells