Stuffed {Potato Skin} Shells

Oh my.  Oh my.  Quick – get thee to a kitchen!

In my opinion, potato skins and stuffed shells are two of the most delicious foods on the planet.  Last Sunday, I was drivin’ around in my car when I suddenly had an idea… why not combine the two dishes to create a gluten-free version of stuffed shells?  Genius, if I do say so myself.

And delicious.  Really, really delicious.

The potato skins are stuffed with a combination of ricotta cheese, spinach, carrot, parsley, and a splash of soy milk.   And I promise – when you bite into these shells, for a split second, you’ll think the potato is actually pasta.  Then, you’ll realize that it’s actually like shelled stuffs to the millionth power and will proceed to rapidly shovel the rest of the meal into your mouth.

Thankfully, this recipe makes multiple servings.  You’re going to want seconds!

Stuffed {Potato Skin} Shells

Ingredients (for three – four servings):

• 4 small to medium yellow potatoes
• One 15-ounce tub of ricotta cheese (I used a fat-free kind and it worked well)
• 2 cups loosely packed raw spinach
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• Salt to taste.
• 1.5 cups pasta sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• You can either microwave or bake the potatoes; I microwaved them so this recipe didn’t take another hour to complete).  Wash the potatoes, stab with a fork, wrap in moist paper towels, and microwave for 6 – 9 minutes, or until soft.
• Slice potatoes lengthwise and let cool so you can handle them.
• Once cool, use a spoon to carefully scoop out the potato filling.  Side aside and use for another recipe (mashed potatoes, perhaps?).  Set skins aside.
• In the food processor, combine spinach and parsley until finely chopped.  Don’t over blend.
• Grate carrot.
• Combine spinach, parsley, carrot, soy milk, and ricotta cheese in a medium bowl.  Add salt to taste.  Scoop the cheese mixture into the shells.
• Pour pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased casserole dish.  Set potatoes on top of pasta sauce.
• Bake for 40 minutes. 
• Serve and inhale!

My belly is happy.

Thought of the Day:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs