Heart Healthy Cheese Stuffed Chicken & Spaghetti

My wife came up with this recipe for a tasty dinner due to my low animal fat diet. However anyone would enjoy “Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Spaghetti,” a heart healthy dinner served with Montepulciano D'Abruzzo wine.

3/4 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or(1/2 teaspoon dried thyme )
I ½ tablespoons fresh chopped basil or(3/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil)1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

4 boneless chicken breast fillets (approximately 4 ounces each), skinned, all visible fat removed, or use already thin-sliced chicken breasts

4 ounces low-fat cottage cheese, drained

2 ounces grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups Prego Traditional Healthy Heart spaghetti sauce

In a small bowl, combine oregano, thyme, basil and pepper. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Meanwhile, rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in a plastic bag and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Set aside. If using thin-sliced breasts, pounding is unnecessary.

Combine spice mixture with cottage cheese. Spoon mixture onto centers of chicken breasts, leaving a 1/2-inch edge all around. From narrow end, roll each breast jellyroll fashion.

Spray skillet with non-fat spray and preheat over medium heat about I or 2 minutes.Arrange chicken rolls in skillet seam-side up. Cook about 15/20minutes, then gently turn chicken breast over so seams are on the bottom. Pour 2 cups Prego spaghetti sauce over chicken. Cover skillet and cook another 15/20 minutes, or until chicken is tender. During last 5 minutes, sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.

Serve on whole grain spaghetti . Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from a recipe for Chicken Manicotti from American Heart Association Cookbook, 5th Edition