Savory Stuffed Shells

Umm...ummm good.

Made the the other night and decided to share with you guys. It's easy and does not require much ingredients. This recipe is dedicated to Harrison.

Ingredients

8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 box of stuff shells

1 lbs of ground beef (or less)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon of sugar

3 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

3/4 cup of chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped green peppers

5 oz of spinach (half a bag)

8 oz ricotta cheese

5.5 cups of water/4 cups of water & 1 cup of white wine

1 can Hunts pasta sauce(flavored with garlic and herb)

4 oz tomato sauce

3 tablespoons of olive oil

 Serving: 3 to 4 hungry people

Ground beef and sauce

In a small bowl add in onions, green peppers and ground beef then mix. Add to hot medium size frying pan stirring and not allowing the meat to stick to pan. Then add in 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, cinnamon and sugar.Cook until all the meat has a brown color and all the pink has disappeared.  Once the meat has been cook pour in 1 can hunt pasta sauce stir then add in 1 cup of water/wine and 2 pinches of salt. Stir, lower the temperature and cover until the sauce has thickened. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside.

At this point, put the shells to bowl in 4 cups of salted water. Do not allow to cook all the way because we will be baking in the oven. It will finish cooking in the oven. Cook half way, drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.

Ricotta cheese and spinach

In a frying pan on medium temperature, add in olive oil. Once hot, sautee the spinach for 5 to 6 minutes until it has wilted down. Then stir in the ricotta cheese. Add in the half of cup of water and stir. Add in a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for 5 minute on the medium temperature until you have a thick consistency. Remove from stove and mix into the ground beef and sauce. Set aside.

Putting it all together

At this point the pasta shells should be warm to touch.

In a small bowl add in the remaining pasta sauce and tomato sauce, mix.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 F.

We are using a 9 x 13 baking pan. Ladle and coat the baking pan with pasta tomato sauce. Take one shell in one hand using your other hand spoon in the ground beef and ricotta cheese mixture in the empty shell. Place the stuffed shell on top of the sauce. Repeat and do this until all the shells have been filled. Drizzle remaing oil over shells. Ladle remaining tomato sauce and ground beef on top of shells.  Sprinkle and coat with cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven

Once you've removed the pan from the oven allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. This will allow for everything to set and come together before serving.

Almost gone.

I KNOW YOU'LL ENJOY THIS AS MUCH AS MY FAMILY AND I DID.

Easy Macaroni au Gratin

Macaroni Au Gratin

I have so many different ways of making Macaroni au Gratin. But this recipe here is not complicated at all. It was created as a no fuss, I am hungry now necessity, but not in the mood for plain ole macaroni and cheese. It's easy, quick and delicious!


Ingredients

8oz Penne
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon of mayo
2 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce/soy sauce
1 teaspoon of mustard
1.5 teaspoon of white pepper (black pepper is fine)
1 large egg
1/2 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste
6 oz mozzarella cheese
3 oz Parmesan cheese/cheddar cheese
1 small clove of garlic

Let's get started:

Add the penne to 3 1/2 to 4 cups of salted boiling water. Cook the penne until al dente ( do not cook the pasta completely, the oven will cook it through). While the pasta is cooking preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a separate bowl or baking dish (I'm using a 1.5 quart baking dish) beat the egg then add in the milk, mustard, a pinch of salt, pepper, mashed bouillon cube, mashed and chopped garlic, onion powder, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Mix, mix and mix. Set aside.

Once the pasta is ready. Drain then toss into your mixing bowl/baking dish of mixed ingredients. Make sure each penne is coated. This is when you want to add to baking dish, if you haven't already. Then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.

 Bake until the cheese is melted and slightly brown. Looks like it was just kissed by the oven.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR MACARONI IN THE OVEN AFTER IT HAS BEEN COOKED. IT WILL GET HARD AND DRY FROM THE HEAT INSIDE THE OVEN.  It's a great way to get bad reviews on your macaroni.