Veggie and Cheese Stuffed Shells

I already have a stuffed shell recipe on the blog but this one is different so I had to post it. It’s just chock full of vegetable-y and cheesy goodness and we loved it.

I used some of my homemade cottage cheese in these babies and it was so delicious. I made a double batch of the stuff the other day and got over 3 pounds of it. I’m obsessed with it, in case you couldn’t tell.

So if you are swimming in cottage cheese, or just need a delicious, meatless meal to serve, give these a shot. I think you’ll be pleased!

Veggie and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Adapted from here

20 – 24 jumbo pasta shells, cooked until 3/4 of the way done

2 T olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped Swiss chard

1 roasted red pepper, diced

2 cups cottage cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 t Italian seasoning

2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the carrots, mushrooms, and onion. Saute until all veggies are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the chard and roasted red pepper.

In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, mozzarella, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Stir in the sauteed veggies.

In a 7 x 11- or a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, pour half of the spaghetti sauce. Fill the shells with the filling and place them in the dish.* Pour the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake, covered, at 350 until bubbling and hot through, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the cover the last 5 minutes. Let shells sit at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves: 6 – 8, depending on appetites and what else is served

*Note: I had a bit of leftover filling as I only had 19 shells to fill. Save the remaining filling for putting in omelets the next morning. Yum!

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Spring Omelet

This was delicious. Even Tage, who despises mushrooms right now, gobbled one up and proudly proclaimed, “Mommy, I eated my musswoms!”

The asparagus is starting to pop up. Usually at the beginning of the season, there’s only 2 or 3 stalks to pick each day. This was the first picking…3 tiny stalks. Not much good for serving as a side dish but perfect for omelets! I also grabbed a few leaves of volunteer kale and spinach. The mushrooms were locally grown. Half of the cheese was made locally. The eggs were from my chickens. Unfortunately I ran out of onions two weeks ago so the one I used were from who-knows-where but I’d still call this a local (and yummy!) breakfast!

Spring Omelet

Per omelet:

1 egg, beaten with a spritz of water and dash of salt

2 spinach leaves, chopped

1 kale leaf, chopped

1 stalk asparagus, finely chopped

1 small mushroom, finely chopped

1 t minced onion

2 T grated cheese

butter

Saute the veggies in a bit of butter until greens are wilted and asparagus is crisp tender. Set aside.

Melt a bit of butter in a small (I use an 8-inch) cast iron or non-stick skillet and heat over medium-low until a drop of water sizzles when dropped in. Pour in the beaten egg and cook until almost set. Sprinkle half of the circle with cheese and veggies, bring the other half of the omelet over top the veggies, and cook a few more seconds if you don’t think the eggs are set enough. I like mine to be just barely set. Browned scrambled eggs are kind of nasty, I think. Remove the omelet from the skillet and serve immediately.

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Macaroni and Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes

I know there are a million macaroni and cheese recipes out there but I thought I’d share mine. I suppose I should say it’s adapted from somewhere but really, macaroni and cheese is about as adaptable as it gets so everyone has their particular little twist. This just happens to be mine.

We eat it with stewed tomatoes and green beans…a classic childhood meal of my family and I’m glad Brad has taken to the tomatoes. The two are a delicious pair. Um, the macaroni and tomatoes, that is. Not Brad and tomatoes.

Macaroni and Cheese

9 oz (a generous 2 cups) uncooked macaroni

3 T butter

4 1/2 T flour

2 1/4 c milk*

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

9 oz (a generous 2 cups) shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar and co-jack)

Cook the macaroni in boiling water until al dente (I don’t bother salting the water since this is a salty dish anyway).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in the flour and then while continuously whisking, slowly pour in the milk. Keep whisking until smooth. Add the salt and pepper and stir until it’s thick and bubbly. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.

When macaroni is done, drain it and then mix it with the cheese sauce. Pour into a 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 til bubbly and a bit brown on top, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately with stewed tomatoes.

Serves: 6

Stewed Tomatoes

1 quart canned tomato chunks

2 T cornstarch

2 t honey

1/2 t salt (if tomatoes are unsalted)

Mix everything together in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and serve.

Yield: 1 quart

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Quick Pizza Dough

I discovered this recipe via my soon-to-be cousin-in-law on Pinterest. It seemed too good to be true. Pizza dough in 5 minutes? I had to try it.

It’s two ingredients: self-rising flour and Greek yogurt. I don’t keep self-rising flour on hand so I turned it into a 6-ingredient recipe. Of course. I always make things more difficult.

But really, it’s still very simple.

Don’t expect a traditional flavor and texture from this dough. It’s more like a biscuit dough. But I’m okay with that, especially if I want pizza in half an hour rather than 3 hours. And actually, we enjoyed it so I might just use this recipe even at times when I DO have 3 hours to prepare dough!

Quick Pizza Dough

Adapted from here

1/2 cup sprouted whole wheat pastry flour*

1/2 cup sprouted whole wheat bread flour

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 – 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in enough yogurt to make a nice dough. It might be a little sticky but that’s okay. Knead dough for a few minutes on a floured surface. It should be a smooth dough.

Divide ball into two. Roll out into 12 inch circles on a floured surface, top with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Slide onto a preheated pizza stone in a preheated 475 degree oven. Bake until cheese is just starting to brown and crust is browned a bit on the bottom, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and slice and serve.

Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas

*Don’t have sprouted flours? Use unsprouted whole wheat flours. Don’t have whole wheat flours? Use all-purpose!

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Vegetable Soup

I love soup. You take random bits of food floating around in the fridge and freezer, throw them in a pot, and call it a meal. Easy, economical, and wholesome.

The flavor of simple soups such as these really depends on the stock you use. I prefer homemade but if you are going with something bought, make sure it’s one whose flavor pleases you because you will definitely taste it in the end result.

Have fun with soup! I very rarely follow a recipe so I didn’t write down any amounts for the ingredients here. That’s the great thing about it. If you don’t have an ingredient you can very well skip it or replace it with something else.

Vegetable Soup

chopped onion

olive oil

cubed potatoes

diced carrots

stock (chicken, beef, vegetable, whatever)

frozen corn

chopped cabbage

chopped beet greens or Swiss chard

Italian seasonings or herbs of choice

salt

pepper

Saute the onions in the oil until soft. Add the potatoes, carrots, and enough stock to cover. Simmer until veggies are nearly soft. Add the remaining ingredients along with more stock to make the soup a nice consistency. Simmer another 20 minutes or until all veggies are cooked. Serve with bread, biscuits, or muffins.

Yield: as much as you want!

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