Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I made this recipe a while ago, but it has a lot to do with what I've been doing recently! For this new year, I'm really working on planning dinners for the week for my family. Both of my parents arrive home pretty late from work (6 o'clock if I'm lucky), and they don't have time to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. So, being the self-proclaimed foodie that I am, I feel it is my duty to help out.


One of my favorite reliable blogs, Cassie Craves, has been helping me through this resolution. And though this recipe wasn't from there since I made it way before this resolution, all the dinner recipes you'll see coming are. So be sure to check back!


Now, onto this dinner. There isn't too much to this recipe, which is great. I loved it! My big mistake, as always, is that I forget to thaw my spinach, so that did add some time onto it=/ I also have a hard time judging how much filling to put in each shell so that they are all even and I don't have left overs or not enough to finish. But I have to realize, things don't have to be perfect. It'll taste fine anyways. And it did. Unfortunately, certain members of my family don't like red sauce, so only half of us enjoyed this meal. (I'll let you guess who)


Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 cups Basic Marinara, divided
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
24 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread 1/2 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling into each pasta shell. Arrange stuffed shells in prepared dish; spread with remaining 1 1/2 cups Basic Marinara. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

White Chicken Enchiladas & Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese

As part of a new initiative to try to have more home cooked meals, my mom and I picked out three meals to make for one week. We gathered our ingredients at the store and put ourselves in the mindset that, yes, we were going to do the dang thing.

When looking for great dinner ideas, I recommend Cassie Craves. She promptly posts daily and has the most amazing breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. They are all doable and nothing too elaborate. Perfect for anyone's family! I admire her great dishes all the time (and drool a little), but now it was time I finally tried one! I did attempt her stick chicken drumsticks a long while back, and they were a HIT! So I knew I could trust in her other recipes;)

We actually made two of her recipes. First: White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce.

The ingredients for this recipe are so simple, but you're still creating a masterpiece of a dish. Cassie has signature enchiladas she makes from time to time and they are just adorable. I liked the looks of this one especially. It all was so easy to make and the results we amazing! I just loved this dish so much. I can't wait to try the other varieties of enchiladas she has on her blog. Check her out!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
from Cassie Craves

8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream

1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
Cilantro for garnish, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together 1 cup of the cheese and the chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2. In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and green chiles. Pour over the top of the enchiladas; sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

Second: Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese

This looked too good not to try. I love spinach and artichoke dip and this turns it into a main course. And, like Cassie mentions, it's a great way to sneak in veggies! My dad and sister actually ate this. And that's saying something. I loved the cheesey goodness and also have healthy veggies tucked.

Please excuse my lack of photos=(

Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese
from Cassie Craves

1 pound short-cut pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 can chopped artichoke hearts in water, drained
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, salt it well and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and reserve.

2. While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with the olive oil and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then whisk the chicken stock into the pan, cooking for another minute. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.

4. Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle more of the cheeses over the top and broil under low heat until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.

I will definitely be making more of her recipes in the future!!

Dad's Delish Dish

My dad came home one day and told me he was going to make dinner for the family. This is pretty surprising to hear because that never happens. But he had tried a dish somebody at his work had brought in and got the recipe for it. He prepared in advance and got all his ingredients together for when he'd make his big meal. And when it was time to start, he laid out all of what he needed before him.

Your basic low down of the recipe is:
A layer of spiral pasta, then a layer of cream spinach spread. Top with some small halved meatballs and red sauce. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and you're done.

This dish was simple and honestly incredible. I seriously can not even begin to describe to you how delicious this was. I paired it with some garlic bread to complete the meal.

The cream cheesy spinach was out of this world. Meatballs are perfect fillers and paired with a red sauce and pasta, you've created a meal of perfection!!

Please try this. YOU MUST.
Dad's Delish Dish
*Bear with me on these ingredients. My dad could not remember exact numbers and sizes of anything! So, trust your judgment and add to taste.






Ingredients:
Spiral noodles- enough to lightly cover a 9 x 13 pan
1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed
1 pkg of cream cheese, room temp!
1 bag of frozen meatballs, prepared as directed, halved
red sauce w/:
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dry chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Prepare and cook the noodles as directed on the package. Layer your spiral noodles along the bottom of your pan. Note: You can use a dish of any size or shape as long as you adapt the other ingredients to fit it.



Cream together your cream cheese and spinach and spread over top the noodles. Place your halved meatballs over the spread with the rounded side up. Then, layer over top with your red sauce. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese over the whole thing.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes?, or longer if it needs more. The time is really just preference because nothing needs cooked, just heated and until the cheese is melted on top.