Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

My aunt is out of town for a couple weeks, and when that happens, my uncle is a regular dinner guest at our home. I let him make a petition for tonight's meals, and he chose "italian." So, tonights meal was for him, and we had stuffed shells in a tomato meat sauce.

I found this recipe online from the Taste of Home website, and it turned out to be soo good. The family asked for seconds, so I take that as a good sign.



You'll need:

28 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

1lb. ground beef

1/2c. chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans (15oz. each) tomato sauce

1 can (280z.) Italian diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, divided

1/2tsp. dried basil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 c. (24 ounces) cottage cheese

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2tsp. seasoned salt

In a skillet, cook ground meat, onions, and garlic until the meat is cooked through. Drain the meat, then add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, plus the basil and 1 tsp. of oregano. Let this come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes.

While that goodness is happening, boil the jumbo shells for about 8 minutes to where they are softened, but not breaking apart.

In a separate bowl, the stuffing for the shells takes place. Mix together the eggs, cottage, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese,  seasoned salt, spinach, and remaining 1/2 tsp. of oregano.

Now it's time for assembly. Lightly grease a large baking dish, and spread a cup or so of the meat sauce mixture over the bottom of it.  Have your cooked shells and cheese mixture on hand, and have at it...

Stuff each shell with a little bit of the cheese mixture, and lay them on the baking pan in a single layer.

Top these babies with the rest of the meat sauce...



...and bake them covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese looks nice and gooey.

Serve 'em up and eat them warm. These were really hearty and would make a great cold-night meal. But, seeing as we never get those here, I had to seize the moment and make them now ;)

Happy Cooking!

-G





Chicken Mediterranean

As promised before, here's the recipe for the meal that I prepared to go with the Asiago bread. I've been making this recipe for a long time...it's just so simple to make, yet tastes like I put a lot of time into it. Plus, it has one of my favorite ingredients.....feta cheese. How can you go wrong with that?

OK, you'll need:
1/2 lb. skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4c. kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2tsp. dried  oregano
1/3c. crumbled feta cheese
4 ounces pasta, cooked

 Combine the chicken, garlic, and olive oil in a ziplock bag, and let this marinade in the fridge for a few hours (I season the chicken with adobo, so I skip this step, but if you don't have adobo, do this).

Cook the chicken in a large skillet until all the chicken is cooked.

Remove the chicken from the pan, and add tomatoes and olives, along with all the spices to the skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for about 7 minutes, making sure to stir it occasionally so the tomatoes don't burn.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the feta cheese, and remove the skillet from the heat. Cover and let it stand for about 5 minutes.

Serve this over any hot pasta of your choice, and chow down!

Happy Cooking!

-G



Who says you have to be Italian?

Hello! Yes, I'm back, finally. Not that anyone reads my blog anyway, but maybe these postings will be a monthly thing. I do cook more often than that, but my posting times seem to be few and far between. Anyhoo, this recipe is one that I read in my January/February 2011 issue of  "Cooking with Paula Deen", and it really intrigued me because it was a lasagna dish that had vegetables in it that I've never tried in a lasagna before! It ended up being really unique, and all the veggies make it a perfect, hearty meal for a cold winter night. Here's how to prepare Paula Deen's Cheesy Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna.

You'll need:
1Tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2c. thinly sliced zucchini

1 1/2c. finely chopped carrots

1 (8oz) pckg. sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6oz.) bags baby fresh spinach
1/4c. thinly sliced fresh basil
1 1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. ground black pepper
1 (15oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 large eggs
2 (24oz.) jars tomato and basil pasta sauce, divided
1(9oz.) package oven ready lasagna noodles
2(12oz.) packages sliced provolone cheese
4c. chopped, cooked chicken
1(16oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic; cook for 5 to 6 minutes on until veggies are tender. Add spinach, stirring until spinach wilts. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parm-Reg mix, and eggs; set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 41/2-quart baking dish (I didn't have one, so I used a 9x13, and I barely had enough room) with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 c. pasta sauce in baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/4 ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with half of vegetable mixture and 1c. pasta sauce. Layer one-fourth of provolone over sauce. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread one-fourth ricotta mixture.
4. Combine chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread half of chicken mixture over ricotta.
5. Top with 1c. pasta sauce, one-fourth of provolone, and 4 lasagna noodles. Spread one-fourth of ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with remaining chicken mixture, 1c. pasta sauce, one-fourth of provolone, and 4 lasagna noodles. Spread with remaining ricotta mixture, remaining vegetable mixture, remaining 1c. sauce, and remaining provolone cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cup of Parm-Reg cheese. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Here's the finished project:

Yes, I have to admit, it looks like some goo monster from the old Lost in Space series, but I haven't quite mastered how to make a lasagna that doesn't fall apart when I cut it. Anyway, it tasted good, so that's all that matters.

I paired this lasagna with a simple Ceasar salad....

...and I had some extra tomatoes, so I threw together some bruschetta, and it complemented the meal deliciously!!

Happy Cooking!