Kathy Manweiler: Stuffed shells with a lighter touch

I WAS INSPIRED to create today's recipe after seeing one of the top dishes on the Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown."

The original stuffed shells looked yummy, but just one serving contained 976 calories and 63 fat grams. If you ate 2 1/2 cups of chocolate ice cream instead, you'd save 33 calories and about 1 gram of fat.

I was tempted to make a beeline for the ice cream, but I decided to give those shells a slimming makeover instead.

By lightening up the cheesy filling and the alfredo sauce, I cut the recipe's calories by 44 percent and slashed the fat by 70 percent. Then I cut each serving down to size, saving even more calories and fat.

You can have a serving of my stuffed shells with chicken and alfredo sauce for 327 calories and 11.5 fat grams.

KATHY'S STUFFED SHELLS WITH CHICKEN AND ALFREDO SAUCE

30 jumbo pasta shells (12 ounces)

For filling:

Olive oil cooking spray

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup 2-percent-milkfat cottage cheese

2 cups fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For alfredo sauce:

1/2 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2/3 cup half-and-half

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Put the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 7 to 9 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse the shells under cold water, being careful not to break them. Set aside.

To make filling: Put the cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in a blender and puree until smooth. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray, add the garlic and increase heat to medium.

Cook garlic for about 1 minute, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't brown. Stir in the spinach until it's just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped chicken, salt and black pepper and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, fold the chicken mixture into the cheese mixture. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken-cheese mixture and place in prepared baking dish.

To make alfredo sauce: Put the flour in a heavy saucepan and gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 5 minutes). Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the half-and-half and heavy cream until mixture is well combined. Add the grated cheese and stir until melted. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the white pepper.

Pour the sauce over the shells and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Per serving (3 stuffed shells): 327 calories, 11.5 fat grams, 30 carb grams, 1.4 fiber grams, 23 protein grams, 60 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium.

Do you have a favorite food or popular recipe that you'd like to see made healthier? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to Kathy Manweiler at kmanweiler

@wichitaeagle.com, or mail to: Don't Say Diet, McClatchy Newspapers, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201.