I have never made stuffed shells before. I actually bought the shells by mistake when pasta was on sale I grabbed at least 1 of everything. So they sat in my pantry intimidating me for several weeks. So I took the plunge and decided to make them. But how? I went in blind thinking I have watched my husband make a mean lasagna enough times that this was just a little different. They where good.. like really good. They are by no means a quick prep kind of dinner. Maybe over time I could make them faster. I did though prep them during the day so all I had to do was make some garlic bread and pop it in the oven before dinner time so that made up for the long prep time. The best part was that 3 out of 4 kids loved them. My 8 year old is as picky as they come I had a back up meal for her already made because I just know better at this point.
Spinach Stuffed Shells
1 box of large shells cooked according to package directions and drained
reserve 1/2 cup of the water from your pasta
1 pound ground beef (you could use ground turkey too)
1 cup frozen spinach (defrosted, and dried
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbs dried minced onion
1 16oz tub of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp sugar
1 large jar pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
cook pasta according to directions drain and set aside, while your pasta is cooking you can also brown your beef. Add your pasta sauce to the beef and allow to simmer on low. After you have cooked and drained your pasta return the 1/2 cup of water you reserved and place back in the pan from your pasta and your spinach, garlic & onion. Simmer this until the onion and garlic is cooked. In a large bowl mix your ricotta, Parmesan cheese, sugar & egg. Take 1/2 of your spinach mixture and mix it with the ricotta, take the other 1/2 of your spinach mixture and mix it in with the pasta sauce. In a 10x13 pan place about a cup or so of your sauce in the bottom of the pan (enough to cover the bottom) you will now start stuffing your shells I used a wooden spoon I figure it was about 1/8 of a cup of ricotta, place them in the pan then cover with the remaining sauce and top with mozzarella cheese.
*at this point I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to pop in later for dinner.. when it was cold it took about 45 mins at 400 to fully cook. At room temperature I would estimated 25-30 mins at 400.
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday Theme (Pizza)
Just ask your child what they want for dinner...is the answer almost always pizza?? We likely eat pizza 2-3 times a week in our house. And no its not delivery or Digiorno lol. Pizza is a very versatile food and its so fun to let your kids help.
Making your own dough is really easy I use my bread machine most of the time but some days I just feel like doing it the old fashion way. Making a traditional pizza with homemade dough isn't the only option. You can make pizza on English muffins, pita bread, bagels, tortillas.. even bread. Its so simple when you are not fussing with dough. When we do little pizza like this the kids get so happy knowing they each get their own little pizza and I let them do their own toppings. Even my 1 year old sprinkles her own cheese on.
When making mini pizza with the kids I give them each a pre sauced pita and place it on wax paper. I line up bowls with toppings across the table starting with the cheese, pepperoni, veggies then Parmesan at the end. They make an assembly line of sorts and pull their wax paper down the line as they pick out their toppings. We then place them on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8-10 mins.. when you are not dealing with dough you pretty much just need to cook until the cheese is melted.
How about Mexican pizza with your taco night leftovers? We generally will do this on English muffins pretty much the same way as above I just use salsa in place of the sauce and will put out left over beef, beans, rice & cheese.. when the pizzas are cooked they can then add sour cream, pico, lettuce, etc..
My husband also makes a wonderful breakfast pizza..I will have to get the recipe from him soon.
and for extra fun..dessert pizza? This works best on regular dough.. you cook just the dough when it comes out brush the crust with butter and sprinkle on some Cinnamon sugar, then I smooth on some vanilla pudding then top with seasonal berries and drizzle the fruit with a bit of honey... YUM!
Making your own dough is really easy I use my bread machine most of the time but some days I just feel like doing it the old fashion way. Making a traditional pizza with homemade dough isn't the only option. You can make pizza on English muffins, pita bread, bagels, tortillas.. even bread. Its so simple when you are not fussing with dough. When we do little pizza like this the kids get so happy knowing they each get their own little pizza and I let them do their own toppings. Even my 1 year old sprinkles her own cheese on.
When making mini pizza with the kids I give them each a pre sauced pita and place it on wax paper. I line up bowls with toppings across the table starting with the cheese, pepperoni, veggies then Parmesan at the end. They make an assembly line of sorts and pull their wax paper down the line as they pick out their toppings. We then place them on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8-10 mins.. when you are not dealing with dough you pretty much just need to cook until the cheese is melted.
How about Mexican pizza with your taco night leftovers? We generally will do this on English muffins pretty much the same way as above I just use salsa in place of the sauce and will put out left over beef, beans, rice & cheese.. when the pizzas are cooked they can then add sour cream, pico, lettuce, etc..
My husband also makes a wonderful breakfast pizza..I will have to get the recipe from him soon.
and for extra fun..dessert pizza? This works best on regular dough.. you cook just the dough when it comes out brush the crust with butter and sprinkle on some Cinnamon sugar, then I smooth on some vanilla pudding then top with seasonal berries and drizzle the fruit with a bit of honey... YUM!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday Salad
Sundays are another busy day in our household. This Sunday especially with getting a few things put together for Labor Day tomorrow. A nice simple pasta salad is a great to go with a BBQ. I find that pasta salad is great for kids because generally all kids love pasta and you can load it up with their favorite veggies
Bow-tie pasta
1 16 oz box bow-tie pasta (we use whole wheat) cooked according to package, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 package of pepperoni cut into 4ths
1 bottle Italian dressing (we like the 365 organic)
1 med red bell pepper chopped
About a cup full of shelled edamame
1 can sliced black olives (I call this optional because I am the only one in the house who wont eat them)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved.
1 cup chopped broccoli
in a large bowl add cooked, drained and rinsed pasta followed by dressing & Parmesan cheese and mix well, then add remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for about an hour and serve.
Bow-tie pasta
1 16 oz box bow-tie pasta (we use whole wheat) cooked according to package, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 package of pepperoni cut into 4ths
1 bottle Italian dressing (we like the 365 organic)
1 med red bell pepper chopped
About a cup full of shelled edamame
1 can sliced black olives (I call this optional because I am the only one in the house who wont eat them)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved.
1 cup chopped broccoli
in a large bowl add cooked, drained and rinsed pasta followed by dressing & Parmesan cheese and mix well, then add remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for about an hour and serve.
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