Stuffed Shells

• 12-oz box of jumbo pasta shells
• 10-oz pkg silken tofu
• 1 head of spinach, or 1 bag of pre-washed spinach
• 1 egg
• 15-oz container of nonfat ricotta cheese
• ¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can spaghetti sauce

Put water on to boil for shells. Steam spinach (possibly in the same pot if you have a tall pasta pot with a steamer in the top). Cook the shells until nearly done, drain. Set the shells and spinach aside. Combine tofu, egg, ricotta cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in spinach.

Preheat oven to 350. Pour a small amount of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Make sure the shells are cool enough to hold, and then use a spoon to fill the shells with the cheese filling. Place the shells in the pan with the openings upward. You may need more than one pan. When the pans are full, pour more spaghetti sauce on top and then cover with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning.

Note: the same cheese filling recipe can be used for lasagne, simply substitute lasagne noodles for the shells.

Pasta and Vegetable Medley with Tofu

• ½ lb penne pasta
• 1 onion
• Mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 1 lb broccoli, zucchini, or other vegetable
• 1 pkg tofu
• ¼ cup pine nuts

Heat 2 qts water to boiling. Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, chop and cook onion and garlic in olive oil from tomatoes. Chop and add vegetables and cook until crisp-tender. Cut tofu into squares and add to onion mixture; add pine nuts. Drain pasta and stir in. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread. If tofu “haters” are eating, use soft tofu so that it will dissolve and coat the pasta like a sauce.

Lasagne

• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 package lasagne noodles
• 1 head spinach
• 1 small container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain the lasagne noodles. Cook the spinach and mix with the ricotta, egg, and parmesan. Heat oven to 400. Pour ½ the spaghetti sauce into a 9 x 13 pan. Arrange ½ the lasagna noodles on top, then spread the spinach mixture on top. Sprinkle with ½ of mozzarella cheese. Layer remaining lasagne noodles next and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes.