Ground Turkey Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Let's start the New Year right...

Puppy cuddles!

Happy New Year, Bubblelanders!  Did you have a good one?  We had a great time here.  Friends were in from out of town and we hosted a small get-together.  The menu was appetizers.

• Veggie tray with blanched baby carrots and asparagus- it's the first time I've blanched and I will definitely do it again!  Not only did it make for vibrant veggie colors but also a great taste.
• My mom's fabulous toffee graham crackers in the red tin
• Ham and swiss sammies
• Bruschetta off to the right
• Crab bite on phyllo in front
• Sweet & sour meatballs in the slow cooker on another table

 It was quite the spread.  Friends also graciously brought (and I rudely forgot to picture):

• Jalapeno popper dip from Hannah
• Fiesta chicken pinwheels and bacon wrapped water chestnuts by Brittney
• Spinach dip ala Tara
• Domino's pizza courtesy of Alfred

Thanks to all to all that joined us for making it a great time!  2012 was a memorable year and it was wonderful to spend the last of it with friends.

I have the worst time judging food, by the way.  We had a ton left over.  Yummy snacks for days!

After all that, you know what time it is...  Healthy food time.  (I'm embarrassed to tell you how many sticks of butter I've gone through this holiday season.)  Fun while it lasted but the scale is not so fun.  It's time to go back to leaner meats and tons more veggies. Oh, how I've been enjoying cheesy potatoes...

So this is my challenge for the New Year.  Healthy food that's not boring. This is going to be especially hard for me at lunch.  Over the course of time, I've really burned myself out on microwave chicken breasts, Lean Cuisines/Healthy Choices, and salads.  Chicken breasts and salad can be great!  Just takes a little more planning to keep it from getting dull.

I eased myself in with these stuffed jumbo shells.  They were really tasty and the leftovers for lunch were even better.

There's just something about a stuffed shell

I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest and I modified the recipe a little.  Added ground turkey, less cheese, no eggs.  If I was to do it again, I'd probably have used a little more sauce.  Still turned out good to us though!  I'm afraid I did a lot to taste so I don't have the best measurements.  But here's pretty close:

Ground Turkey Stuffed Jumbo Shells

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 (12 oz) package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 package ground turkey
• 5 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 (15 oz) container low-fat ricotta cheese
    – About 8 oz
• 1/2 (16 oz) low-fat cottage cheese
    – About 8 oz
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt & ground black pepper
• Jar of spaghetti sauce - I used Ragu Mama's Special Garden, I think 26 oz

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onions and garlic until a little soft.  Add ground turkey to mix and cook until brown.  Salt/pepper and Italian seasoning to taste.
4. Stir in ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and sauce.  I did this in my skillet but if yours isn't large, might want to do it in a bowl.
5. Stuff shells with most of the meat and cheese mixture and place in casserole dish.  Spread the leftover mix on top and sprinkle with parm.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.

The start of a tasty and healthy 2013!