Low-fat stuffed shells use mouthwatering seafood filling

These seafood-stuffed pasta shells have a mouthwatering appearance, and they'd make a great party dish -- the recipe makes enough for 10 main-dish servings. The jumbo shells are easy to serve and easy to eat, filled with shrimp and scrod, topped with seasoned bread crumbs.

If diners pause to ask before happily gobbling them up, they'll be pleased to know the shells are also low in fat.

The recipe is from "Good Housekeeping 100 Best Pasta Recipes" (Hearst Books, 2003, $14.95), a well-presented and varied selection of dishes.

Seafood-Stuffed Shells

(Preparation 1 hour, 15 minutes, bake 20 minutes)

30 jumbo pasta shells

Salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

8-ounce bottle clam juice

28-ounce can whole tomatoes in puree

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled, deveined, and coarsely chopped

1 pound scrod fillet, coarsely chopped

10-ounce package frozen peas

For bread-crumb topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed with side of chef's knife

2 slices firm white bread, torn into 1/4-inch pieces

Prepare pasta shells in boiling salted water, as package label directs. Drain shells and rinse with cold running water to stop cooking; drain again. Arrange shells in single layer on waxed paper and set aside.

Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stirring frequently. Add clam juice and cook 7 minutes over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup.

Stir in tomatoes with their puree, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add tomato paste, sugar and crushed red pepper; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; partially cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and cook 2 minutes longer; remove saucepan from heat.

Transfer 1 cup tomato sauce to 3-quart saucepan. Add shrimp and scrod, and cook over medium-high heat until seafood just turns opaque throughout, about 5 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from heat; stir equal amounts of frozen peas into both sauce-pans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill each pasta shell with 2 heaping tablespoons of seafood mixture and place in a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over stuffed shells.

Prepare bread-crumb topping: In nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add bread and cook until it is golden, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Discard garlic.

Spoon bread crumbs over stuffed shells. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 10 main-dish servings.

Nutrition information per serving: about 325 cal., 23 g pro., 38 g carbo., 9 total fat (3 g saturated), 87 mg chol., 450 mg sodium.

(Recipe is from "Good Housekeeping 100 Best Pasta Recipes," Hearst Books, 2003, $14.95)