Breaking Out of My Shell

This summer I discovered stuffed jumbo pasta shells.  I've known of their existence for years but always thought they would be too much work to make.  I was wrong - they are so easy and really don't take much time at all to prepare.

Here are a couple more new recipes.  Recipe #19:

Stuffed Beef & Spinach Shells

Table of Contents:
- 1 pkg jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey (I only used about 1/2 that amount)
- 1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
- 1 onion, diced
- 8 oz. pkg. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 small can mushroom pieces, drained
- 1/2 - 1 c. Mozerella cheese
- 1 egg
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 jar of you favorite pasta sauce (I used Ragu Tomato & Basil)

How To:
Cook shells according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water to cool.  Brown meat and diced onion; drain.  In large bowl combine all ingredients (except sauce); season to taste.  Pour about 1/3  jar of the pasta sauce in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with about 1 T. of the meat and cheese mixture.  Place in baking dish and cover with remaining pasta sauce and additional Mozerella cheese if desired.  Cover  tightly with foil; bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

The Outcome:
These are so good and super-simple to prepare.  The recipe I used said the shells freeze beautifully.  You just stuff and freeze, then add the sauce when ready to cook.  I have not done this yet, but since I am becoming a real fan of a make ahead freezer meal I will probably try it sometime.

Moving on with The Resolution - Recipe #20:

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Table of Contents:
- 12 pasta jumbo stuffing shells, cooked and drained
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef (again only used about 1/2 this amount)
- 1 jar (16 oz.) mild or medium picante sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, drained
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1 can (2.8 oz) Durkee French fried onions

How To:
Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water to cool.  Brown ground beef; drain.  Combine picante sauce, water and tomato sauce.  Stir 1/2 cup of sauce mixture into beef mixture along with the chiles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and 1/2 can of the French fried onions; mix well.  Pour 1/2 of the remaining sauce mixture in greased medium sized baking dish.  Stuff cook shells with ground beef mixture.  Arrange shells in baking dish; pour remaining sauce over shells.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and onions; bake, uncovered 5 minutes longer.


The Outcome:
Love these!!  I have made these several times and The Drummer Guy is enthusiastically in favor of having this dish frequently.  Can do!

Recipe #5 - Crunchy Beef Bake

I got home from work early today so thought I would try a new recipe. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine.

CRUNCHY BEEF BAKE

Table of Contents:
2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 pound ground beef
¾ cup chopped green pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (1 ¾ ounces) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (2.8 ounces) French-fried onions

(Forgot to take pictures before I whipped this up!)

How To:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown beef, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and green pepper is tender; drain fat. Drain pasta; add to the beef mixture with tomatoes, soup, cheese and salt. Transfer to a greased 2qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with onions and bake 5 minutes longer.

The Result:
I have been searching for a “knock your socks off, wow, this is so good" recipe. This was not it. It was very easy to make but I’m glad I did not expend a lot on energy on it. Mark’s comment: “Well, it’s edible.”

The search continues.

(It wasn't a total bust. The low-fat package mix blueberry muffins were delicious!)

Recipe #2

Today was new recipe day!!! I love to make soup and have never cooked with tortellini, so this looked interesting. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

TORTELLINI SOUP

The Ingredients:
7-8 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with onion and garlic)
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt; ¼ tsp. pepper (does anybody really measure salt and pepper?)
1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken (I used a pre-cooked 6 oz. pkg)

The Directions:
In dutch oven or soup kettle combine broth, tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

I did this and mixed it all together with a whisk. Having never cooked spinach before, I did not realize that this is what would happen:

What a mess -it took forever to clean all that spinach off the whisk! Is it any wonder that this is the expression I frequently wear when I cook:

Anyway, moving on. After getting out a big spoon for stirring from this point forward, simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors; add tortellini and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes or until tortellini is heated through. (If using frozen, follow pkg. instructions for cooking the tortellini.)

The Result:

I was a little nervous about this one with the cooked spinach. I've never been a big fan of the looks or texture of the stuff, but decided to go ahead and use it. The soup was excellent. We both liked it a lot, which is a good thing because we have a lot of leftovers. However, when I make this the next time, I think I will choose a different green vegetable!