This manicotti stays heart-healthy without sacrificing great taste by using ground turkey and fat-free ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

8 uncooked manicotti pasta shells

½ lb lean ground turkey breast (at least 90% lean)

1 medium onion, chopped (½ cup)

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 cup fat free ricotta cheese (I have only used small curd fat free cottage cheese and it tastes great.)

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings (I used 1 tablespoon basil,1 tablespoon thyme and 1 tsp. oregano)

1 box frozen cut or chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain water

1 ½ cups pasta sauce or marinara sauce, any flavor

2 tablespoons finely shredded parmesan cheese. (I used ½ cup. What can I say? I love cheese!)

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Spray bottom and sides of 11 x 17 glass 2 quart baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.

Cook pasta shells as directed on box, omitting salt. Rinse with cool water. Drain well.

Spray non-stick 10 inch skillet with cooking spray. Cook turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat. Stir in ricotta cheese, Italian seasonings and spinach.

Spoon turkey mixture into shells; arrange in baking dish. Spoon marinara over shells. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

(Try to use organic pasta sauce or marinara sauce with less than 300 mg sodium.) 4 servings

1 serving 350 calories, calories from fat 50 (calories will be less if you used cottage cheese), :total fat- 6g, saturated fat 1g, trans fat 0g, cholest. 45 mg., sodium 440 mg, total carbs 45 g, dietary fiber 5 g, sugars 10g, Vitamin A 130%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 25%, Iron 20%.