Artichoke, spinach and feta stuffed shells

When I got home from the gym at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night and had no desire to put any effort into making myself dinner, I was quickly reminded of how much I looooveeee artichoke, spinach and feta stuffed shells! I made these one Sunday night when I had some time on my hands, and was very thankful, three lovely frozen meals later! The artichokes just weren't doing it for Mark, so I portioned out what was leftover and froze them for myself. So much better than a pre-package, sodium-filled, store-bought frozen meal! Next time, I will prepare the mixture without the artichoke and stuff half of them for Mark, then add the artichokes into the mixture and stuff the remaining shells (you can never have too much artichoke, right!?!). I'm always looking for simple solutions to accommodate different palates. Making two meals is out of the question, but thinking of easy steps like this make it virtually effortless to accommodate someone else's preferences.

 

Artichoke, spinach and feta stuffed shells

• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp died basil
• 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
• 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes with added puree (such as Progresso)
• 1 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1  cup shredded provolone cheese, divided (I couldn't find shredded in a package and probably should have bought a block at the deli, but instead I just bought sliced cheese and diced it)
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 20 cooked jumbo shell pasta (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta or approximately half of a package)
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

3. Combine 1/2 cup provolone and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pasta shell; place stuffed shells in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup provolone.

4. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts.

 

You could substitute the provolone for mozzarella cheese if you had it, but other than that, these are pretty basic ingredients. A little effort is required here, since you have to individually stuff the shells, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was able to get the dish together. If you have room in your freezer, you could easily double the recipe and use the entire box of shell pasta. Just freeze the uncooked pan for enjoyment another time!

 

This is based on Cooking Light's recipe, and it's really pretty healthy! The flavor from the artichoke really cuts down on the amount of cheese you need to use, and spinach adds good volume to the mixture. Feta has so much flavor, so I wouldn't recommend substituting, or you'll miss out on some savoriness. Didn't feel a bit guilty after indulging in this dish!