Healthified Sausage-Stuffed Shells

70% less sat fat • 59% less fat • 30% fewer calories than the original recipe. This recipe's come out of its shell with substitutions beyond the Italian turkey sausage that shaves both fat and saturated fat. Shredded carrots add a good-for-you flavor boost. Now it's party perfect!

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( 66 Ratings)

66 Ratings

5 Stars 61%

4 Stars 15%

3 Stars 17%

2 Stars

1 Stars

Member Reviews ( 29 )

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The Quick Take & Nutrition Info

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The Quick Take: Healthified

Calories Reduced By 130
Fat Reduced By 13g
Saturated Fat Reduced By 7g

See What Makes It Healthified »

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Nutrition Information

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 290
Calories from Fat: 80),

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 9g; 9%
(Saturated Fat 3g, 3% Trans Fat 0g 0% ),
Cholesterol: 40mg; 40%;
Sodium: 720mg; 720%;
Total Carbohydrate: 33g; 33%
(Dietary Fiber 2g 2% Sugars 7g 7% ),
Protein: 19g; 19%

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 70%;
Vitamin C: 4%;
Calcium: 25%;
Iron: 15%;

Exchanges:

2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Prep Time 30 min
Total Time 1 hr 20 min
Servings 12

Ingredients

24: jumbo pasta shells (from 12-oz box)

1: lb lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1: container (15 oz) light ricotta cheese

2: cups shredded reduced-fat Italian cheese blend (8 oz)

1: box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain

1/2: teaspoon dried basil leaves

3/4: cup finely shredded carrots (1 medium)

1: jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic Italian herb pasta sauce

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
2 In 10-inch nonstick skillet, crumble sausage. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.
3 In medium bowl, stir ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend, the spinach and basil until well mixed. Stir in carrots and sausage.
4 Spread about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce over bottom of baking dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoonfuls sausage mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange shells, filled sides up, on sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce over stuffed shells. Spray 15-inch piece of foil with cooking spray; cover shells with foil.
5 Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

The Original vs. Healthified

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Live Better America lets you enjoy your favorite dishes without worry or guilt. Our nutritionists switch ingredients, reduce amounts and use other kitchen tricks to turn the original recipes into Healthified recipes that are good and good for you.

Before	After
1 lb Italian pork sausage	1 lb lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 container (15 oz) whole milk ricotta cheese	1 container (15 oz) light ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)	2 cups shredded reduced-fat Italian cheese blend (8 oz)
	1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
	3/4 cup finely shredded carrots (1 medium)

Nutritional Highlights

Calories		420 (before) 290 (after)
Fat		1 1/2 (before) 1/2 (after)
Saturated Fat		10 g (before) 3 g (after)
Total Fat		22 g (before) 9 g (after)
Vitamin A (%DV)		45 (before) 70 (after)

Did You Know?

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Expert Tips

We've replaced ingredients with great-tasting alternatives to create better-for-you recipes that are just as yummy as the originals.

To quickly thaw spinach, cut small slit in center of pouch; microwave on High 2 to 3 minutes or until thawed. Remove spinach from pouch; squeeze dry with paper towels.

Light and part skim ricotta cheese are not created equal. Part skim is slightly higher in fat and calories. Compare the labels the next time you shop.

Reviews

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1 - 3 of 29 Reviews View All

Posted 1/6/2013 7:55:19 PM REPORT ABUSE Vandylauren said:

Rating:

These were absolutely amazing! My entire family was very impressed. My dad even said they were better than some pasta he has ordered at restaurants. I love that they were easy to make. The only downside is that they require a lot of dishes (pasta always does).

Posted 5/24/2012 1:15:28 PM REPORT ABUSE Daphodil said:

Rating:

Wow! These were delicious! Although they weren't nearly as difficult as I thought they would be, with working Monday through Friday it was just a bit more time consuming for me for a weekday meal. These will definitely be a repeat for our family table, but over a weekend next time :)

Posted 2/27/2012 2:20:53 PM REPORT ABUSE Member said:

Rating:

This is an awesome recipe!! I loved it!! I had to use Chicken sausage and it was very tasty. This will be a regular in my house! It nice because you can freeze two together for portion control!!

1 - 3 of 29 Reviews View All

We calculated the nutrition of this recipe at the time it was created on 07/19/2012. NOTE: We do not include optional ingredients in our calculations.