Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Aubergine and cottage cheese parmigiana
Soft roasted aubergine layered with tomato, cottage cheese and mozzarella.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the aubergine is fully soft in 20 to 25 minutes
- Photograph the finished dish
- Time
- About 1 hr 10 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 310 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 22 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- passata. Some passata is salted; check the label.
- mozzarella. Some mozzarella is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan). Brush the aubergine slices with the oil, spread them on lined trays and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until completely soft.
Turn the oven down to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan).
Layer the aubergine in a baking dish with the passata, cottage cheese and most of the basil, finishing with a layer of aubergine.
Scatter the mozzarella over and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling and hot all the way through.
Cooked when: 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Leave it to settle for 10 minutes, then cut and finish with the rest of the basil.
The useful detail
Roast the aubergine fully before assembling. Half-cooked slices stay squeaky and firm in the finished dish; the oven will not soften them once they are under sauce.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the dish. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Courgette instead of aubergine
Wetter and milder; roast it until the edges colour and tip away any liquid.
Per serving: about 15 kcal less, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Ricotta instead of cottage cheese
Smoother and richer between the layers.
Per serving: about 50 kcal more, about 4 g less protein, about 6 g more fat.
A vegetarian hard cheese
Sharper and drier, with more browning.
Per serving: about 35 kcal more, about 3 g more protein, about 2 g more fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A parmigiana where the aubergine is roasted rather than fried, so it soaks up a fraction of the oil, and cottage cheese does most of the protein work.
| Energy | 310 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 22 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| of which saturates | 5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29 g |
| of which sugars | 17 g |
| Fibre | 9 g |
| Sodium | 520 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aubergine | 400 g | FDC 169228Eggplant, raw | 100 kcal | 3.9 g |
| olive oil | 9 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 80 kcal | 0.0 g |
| passata | 300 g | FDC 170460Tomato products, canned, puree, without salt addedCalculated with FoodData Central's unsalted tinned tomato purée record, the closest match to sieved passata. | 114 kcal | 4.9 g |
| cottage cheese | 200 g | FDC 172179Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd | 196 kcal | 22.2 g |
| fresh basil | 5 g | FDC 172232Basil, fresh | 1 kcal | 0.2 g |
| mozzarella | 50 g | FDC 170847Cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk | 127 kcal | 12.1 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 619 kcal | 43.4 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. It cuts more cleanly the next day.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian