Momma Mia! Stuffed Shells

Last night, I made one of my and my husband's favorite Italian meals...stuffed shells! Almost every time I make them, I post pictures on Facebook. My FB friends go crazy over how yummy they look! So, I decided to share the recipe in a public forum. 

Momma Mia Stuffed Shells

By Angela Bailey

Ingredients Needed:

Jumbo Pasta Shells 

1 Jar (1 lb, 8 oz) of Spaghetti Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese (I used Kraft's part skim.)

Parmesan Cheese

10 oz of Frozen Spinach (thawed/drained)

8 oz Ricotta Cheese

Cooking Spray

Water


Optional Ingredients:
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way full with water.

3. Add a couple dashes of salt to the water.

4. Boil the water.

5. While the water is boiling, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

6. Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of the 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly.

7. Add pasta shells to the boiling water. (Don't use the whole box. Only approx. 16-18 shells will actually be made. However, throw in a few extras in case a couple break.) 

8. Cook shells until al dente.

9. While shells are cooking, in a medium mixing bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. (Optional: Add a little salt and pepper.)

10. Drain shells in a colander when done cooking.

11. Rinse shells with cold water until they are cool to the touch.

12. Using a heaping tablespoon of spinach/ricotta mixture, fill shells and place in the 9x13 baking dish, opening facing up.

13. Pour the remainder of the spaghetti sauce over the shells.

14. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese generously over sauce and shells. (I used two handfuls.)

15. Sprinkle parmesan cheese lightly over mozzarella.

16. Cover with tinfoil and put into the oven.

17. Cook for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

18 Enjoy!

This dish is very filling and super yummy! Vance and I are only able to eat about 4 shells each and we are stuffed! That just means there are leftovers! MMMM! I can't wait for lunch!

~A

Homemade Spicy Chicken Pasta

Last night, my husband, Vance, and I made dinner without following a recipe. We both have our fortes in the kitchen. While I usually stick to the baking side of creativity, tonight I decided to make some "homemade" sauce for our pasta dish, while Vance handled the chicken. Did I mention my husband went to culinary school? Yeah, I know! I'm sucha lucky gal! :-)


I posted a couple pics on Facebook last night as we were cooking and people commented on how yummy it looked, so I told them I would figure out the recipe and post it. So...bon appetite!


Homemade Spicy Chicken Pasta
Recipe by Vance and Angela Bailey


Ingredients Needed:
Spaghetti Noodles (we used whole wheat)
1 (14.5 oz) Can of Italian Tomatoes
1 (8 oz) Can of Tomato Sauce
Mushrooms (as few or as many as you'd like)
Minced Garlic
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Salt
Pepper
Herbed Poultry Spice

Parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Suggested Ingredients:
Oregano
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Basil
Cayenne Pepper


Noodles:
1. Boil water in a pot.
2. Add some salt when boiling.
3. Add spaghetti noodles.
4. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
5. Drain noodles.
6. Mix a dash of olive oil with the noodles in the colander to keep them from drying out, clumping, and sticking.


Sauce:
1. In a medium sauce pan, pour a thin layer of olive oil just enough to cover the bottom. Allow to heat for a minute or two.
2. Add mushrooms and minced garlic.
3. Stir mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are darkened and soft.
4. Add tomatoes.
5. Heat and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
6. Add tomato sauce.
7. Allow to warm thoroughly.
8. Add garlic powder, oregano, basil, italian seasoning, and onion powder to taste.


Chicken:
1. Cube chicken. (We're not exactly sure how much we used. Just estimate.)
2. Season with herbed poultry spice (or any other chicken flavoring you'd like), parsley, and salt and pepper. (Don't go too overboard, especially with the salt.)
3. Cover the bottom of a large pan with olive oil.
4. Allow to heat for a minute or two.
5. Add chicken.
6. Stir/flip chicken as it cooks to prevent sticking and thorough cooking.
7. Add cayenne pepper as you turn the chicken. (A little bit at a time is the best way to go about it.)
8. Cook chicken until completely cooked and tasting the way you want it to.


Presentation:
1. Put pasta into an individual bowl.
2. Add desired amount of sauce.
3. Add chicken on top.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.
5. Enjoy!

This recipe took us about a total of 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish. I cut up the mushrooms as Vance cubed the chicken. As the mushrooms browned, I opened the cans I needed, got all the spices I needed, and put water on to boil for the pasta. By the time the mushrooms were ready, everything was in order to finish the recipe. While my sauce simmered, I added the spaghetti noodles and allowed them to boil. Vance then cooked the chicken as the spaghetti noodles cooked and my sauce simmered. After adding tomato sauce to my sauce, we then drained the noodles, added cayenne pepper to the chicken and waited for everything to heat thoroughly.


Overall, this recipe is one that you can kind of play around with and change according to your taste. If you follow it "to recipe" then I guarantee that it is de-lish! I know we enjoyed it last night!


Let me know if you try it out and any adaptations you make!


Enjoy!


~A