Ana Ortiz-Hollian won our heart-healthy recipe contest with her take on stuffed shells. Her dish was featured in the Sherman Café on Fridays. April 2 was her dish’s last day in the café. Recently, we caught up with Ana and asked her some questions about how the recipe came to be. Click the following link to view her winning recipe.

Q: Why did this recipe appeal to you?

A: I enjoy Italian food and love this recipe because it was traditionally handed down to me by a wonderful aunt who passed away.

Q: What are your other favorite foods?

A: I enjoy well cooked food as well as eccentric foods such as curry cauliflower soup with honey, a variety of salads, Arroz con bollo (chicken and Rice) and many more. In a nutshell, I am not a very picky eater.

Q: Do you have any tips to offer when cooking these stuffed shells?

A: Make sure you put plenty of peppers, onions, etc in while cooking the meat. Drain any liquid from the meat before mixing in the light ricotta cheese. This will keep the shells from being soupy when baking is complete.

Q: Where did you find this recipe?

A: The original recipe has tons of great-tasting (but not the healthiest) ingredients in it such as butter and ground beef. When I started to worry about my weight I wanted to still cook the stuffed shells, but with a healthier option. That way, I could still enjoy them along with my family, as this food is a holiday or special occasion treat. I altered all fats to healthy fats instead of ground beef and pork, I subbed for ground turkey for ground beef, and instead of eggs and bread crumbs I used light ricotta cheese to hold the meet together while stuffing. This lowered both the fat content and the calorie count.

Thanks to Ana for sharing her delicious recipe with us! Look for the runner-up recipes to appear on the blog in the coming weeks. For more information on staying healthy, including free classes, visit shermanhealth.com