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Cheesy Monster Eyes

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By Pillsbury Kitchens
Updated Sep 15, 2010
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Get creative with dinner! Serve your family these cheesy pasta shells arranged with meatballs to resemble monster faces – perfect if you like Italian cuisine.

Cheesy Monster Eyes

  • Prep Time 35 min
  • Total 1 hr 30 min
  • Ingredients 11
  • Servings 6
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Ingredients

  • 18 jumbo pasta shells (from 12-oz package)
  • 1 jar (26 to 28 oz) tomato pasta sauce
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 18 frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (from 16-oz bag)
  • 4 to 6 pitted ripe olives, sliced
  • Red bell pepper, lettuce, sugar snap peas, green grapes, and green onions if desired

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta as directed on package; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
  • Step 
    2
    Meanwhile, reserve 1 tablespoon pasta sauce; pour remaining sauce into baking dish. In medium bowl, mix egg, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, the basil and garlic powder.
  • Step 
    3
    Fill each cooked pasta shell with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Arrange filled shells, cheese mixture up, in dish over sauce. Press 1 meatball into cheese mixture in each shell to resemble eye.
  • Step 
    4
    Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Use drop of reserved pasta sauce to attach ripe olive slice to each meatball to resemble pupil of eye. To create a face, arrange eyes on each plate with red pepper mouth, grape nose, lettuce and sugar snap peas eyebrows and green onion hair.

Nutrition

630 Calories
28g Total Fat
38g Protein
57g Total Carbohydrate
12g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
630
Calories from Fat
250
Total Fat
28g
43%
Saturated Fat
12g
60%
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
160mg
53%
Sodium
1500mg
62%
Potassium
800mg
23%
Total Carbohydrate
57g
19%
Dietary Fiber
4g
15%
Sugars
12g
Protein
38g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
30%
30%
Vitamin C
15%
15%
Calcium
50%
50%
Iron
25%
25%
Exchanges:
3 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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