Un-Stuffed Shells

Un-Stuffed Shells

I came up with this dish to use up the extra veggies and ricotta that I had lying around.  The spinach and ricotta combination remind me of my stuffed shells, so I went with that and opted for a small shell pasta.  This is unlike stuffed shells, in that it doesn't have red sauce in it, but you could stir a cup or two of marinara sauce into the ricotta for the full stuffed shell flavor.  You could add cooked ground beef/ turkey/ or italian sausage if you want extra protein also.  You could also substitute a 10 oz package of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed of moisture) for the fresh spinach.

-1 box whole wheat medium shells, cooked al dente
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb fresh baby spinach
-2 c part-skim ricotta cheese
-1/2 c fat-free half and half
-1tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
-(optional) assorted veggies, cooked in olive oil and set aside... I used an onion, yellow and red bell pepper and mushrooms because I had them lying around needing to be used up

In deep skillet/ stir-fry pan heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add spinach in bunches, stirring until wilted.  Remove spinach from the pan and set aside.  Turn heat to low, place ricotta, half and half, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in the pan.  Whisk until well combined.  Stir in cooked pasta and vegetables and serve.