Looking for an alternative to meat-based pasta dishes? How about a jumbo pasta shell filled with a seafood mix that is a bit crunchy, a bit succulent, and filled with rich seafood flavor, without using a ton of seafood? Seafood filled shells are the answer. The recipe is a bit on the ‘light side’ as it is not oozing sodium, fat, or cheese. Serve with a crispy salad and this meal is just about perfect. Vary the seafood you use to include your favorites or what is budget friendly. Purchase seafood (It doesn’t take a lot!) already cooked and this recipe is quite easy to make. The recipe makes 12 jumbo shells allowing three to four per serving. You can serve these with just a drizzle of lemon juice to make the shells more calorie friendly. I like to make a light white sauce (recipe included) and pour over the shells prior to baking. Either way, these are so good!
12 jumbo pasta shells #333
1 large garlic clove
1 1/3 cup seafood* of your choice. Cooked shrimp works well as does imitation crabmeat.
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmassan cheese
½ cup minced celery with tops
2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts or roasted almonds
½ – cup whole kernel corn
2 tablespoons diced roasted red peppers (Roasted red
peppers in the jar work great. Find them at your
grocery store near the olives.)
½ – cup frozen, chopped spinach
2 tablespoons minced, dried onion
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg
1-teaspoon dill weed
Cook the shells in boiling, salted water. Add the garlic clove to your cooking water. Cook according to package directions. Remove the shells when ‘just done’ and reserve the pasta water.
In a large bowl add the chopped seafood. Add the celery, corn and roasted peppers and stir. Thaw the spinach and press between paper towels to remove extra water. Add to seafood mix. Roughly chop the nuts and add to the seafood mixture. Stir in the spices. Add the mayonnaise. Lastly add the Parmesan cheese and gently stir.
Brush an 8 x 11 inch baking dish with olive oil. Divide the seafood mixture evenly among the shell, packing the shells firmly. Drizzle with lemon juice or white sauce and bake covered in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes. Uncover the shells and bake an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Seafood White Sauce
1 – ½ cup fat-free milk.
¼ Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Heat the milk on medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until the liquid is warm. Stir in the cheese and spices. Be sure to stir constantly to keep the milk from scorching. Whisk in one tablespoon of the cornstarch and stir briskly until there are no lumps in your sauce. If the sauce it too thin for your liking add the remaining cornstarch a bit at a time and whisking it thoroughly until you have the desired thickness. If the sauce gets too thick, thin it with a bit of the reserved pasta water, a teaspoon at a time. *Cooked salmon or cooked, fresh tuna also work well in this recipe. I do not recommend using canned tuna for this dish.
Leave a Reply