Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

I had some jumbo pasta shells languishing in my pantry, just dying to come out of the darkness & be part of the kitchen limelight...  OK, I had an old box of pasta shells, sitting on the shelf that needed using up. :)  I wandered around the 'net & found this recipe from SkinnyTaste for ~ Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce ~ that sounded good, so I made it. 

Since we have a local butcher that has great, fresh extra-lean ground sirloin (they grind it several times a day) I used that instead of the ground turkey.  I reserved 1/2 of the cooked ground beef & added that to the spinach stuffing mixture, gave it all a good stir & then proceeded with the recipe.  I like to have a meaty filling in my pasta shells & we didn't notice having a bit less meat in the meat sauce.  I think it makes it feel like an even heartier dish that way.  Who says eating light has to be boring... certainly not me.  So, if you have an old, sad & lonely box of jumbo pasta shells hanging around your kitchen, why not take them out & ask them to dance?  They'll love you for it!  

Taco Night ~ making lower fat tacos using ground turkey breast

7/11/2013 ** Last month while I was on vacation, Tina (a new reader of the blog), commented on this post for Turkey Tacos.  I've just gotten around to responding to her (sorry for the delay!)  Since I am still missing all the Mexican food I was eating while in Ixtapa, Mexico, I thought this would be a good meal to make for dinner tonight.  I decided to 'share' this original 6/21/2012 post again on the blog.  Taco Night's rule ~ Enjoy! **

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I decided I wanted crispy, crunchy tacos for dinner tonight & I also wanted a healthy, lower fat option.  To reach this goal, I decided to try making my tacos with ground turkey breast instead of the usual ground beef.  What a good decision that was!  Ground turkey breast is sooo low in fat & once you add the additional ingredients it tastes just like regular beef tacos. (I'm sure ground chicken would give you similar results) ~ SCORE!

To help achieve the traditional beef taco meat flavor, I included a taco spice mix packet & mashed chili beans in with the cooked turkey taco meat.  The combo of three ingredients was perfect.  Our dinner was just like having regular beef tacos, only healthier.  Keep the healthier options going by using low carb/low fat tortillas, shredded low fat or soy cheese & plain yogurt or fat free sour cream.  I love it when healthier options still taste so good!

Ground Turkey Meat Tacos ~
 good for either Crispy Taco Shells or Soft Flour Tortilla Tacos
8~12 tacos

• one pound ground turkey breast, lean
• one packet of taco spice mix
• 1/2 can chili beans, in sauce
• box of crispy taco shells or taco size flour tortillas
• your favorite toppings for tacos, like ~ shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, olives, hot sauce, salsa & any additional taco toppings that you like

Prepare all toppings that you want to use for your tacos & keep in fridge until time to assemble.  Preheat oven if necessary for warming the taco shells.

Cook ground turkey meat until completely cooked through, drain if necessary.

Add the packet of taco spice mix to the cooked turkey meat & follow directions on packet for completing the taco meat.

While taco meat is simmering, prepare the taco shells ~  If using crispy tacos, follow directions for heating taco shells in the oven.  If making soft tacos, follow package directions for warming the tortillas.

Once taco meat is complete, add 1/2 can chili beans.  Mash the beans into the turkey taco meat & stir thoroughly.  Let the taco meat mixture simmer for one minute, then it is ready to serve.   By now, the once stark white turkey meat has changed into a lovely rich, reddish brown color & has the aroma & flavor of beef taco meat.

Assemble your tacos.  Enjoy!