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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Colorado Pie (and Condensed Tomato Soup)

Does anyone know why this is called Colorado Pie? I like to hear the history behind recipes and their names.

The original recipe didn’t call for potatoes and also had more meat in it. I had only thawed a 1/2 pound of meat so I added the potato to fill it out. It was delicious and I think I’ll always do it this way. The pie still felt plenty meaty to me.

I have to be honest and tell you that the kids did not like this. They were in awful moods this evening, though, so perhaps they aren’t good judges. Brad was not around (it’s rye chopping time!) so he didn’t have any. But I loved it! Very easy meal.

Colorado Pie

Adapted from More with Less

1/2 pound ground beef or venison

1/2 of an onion, chopped

1 medium potato, cut in small cubes

2 cups fresh or frozen green beans

salt

pepper

1 recipe condensed tomato soup (recipe below)

1 double whole wheat pie crust (I doubled this recipe)

Cook the potato and green beans until soft.

Brown the meat and onion. Use a little oil or butter if the meat is very lean. When brown, add the cooked veggies, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the soup.

Roll out the bottom crust and fit into the pie pan. Do not crimp. Roll out the second crust and when it’s ready, pour the filling into the pan and then top with the second crust. Cut off excess around edges, crimp, and cut a few slits in the top. Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and crust is done.

Serves: 4 – 6

Condensed Tomato Soup

Adapted from More with Less

2 T fat (butter, oil, etc.)

3 T unbleached flour

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup water

Melt the fat in a small pan. Whisk in the flour. Slowly pour in the sauce and water, mixing all the while. Cook, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thick. Use in any recipe that calls for condensed tomato soup.

Yield: about the same amount as a 10-oz can of condensed soup

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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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Healthy Breakfast

I don’t know what I should call this. Fried corn bread with greens and fried eggs? That’s a bit of a mouthful but that’s exactly what it is. I was really craving greens the other morning so I whipped this up for myself.

It’s not much of a recipe, just more an idea in case you, too, are thinking you’d like to eat a pile of greens.

Take a slice or two of leftover corn bread (I need to post my recipe!) and fry it in a bit of butter until nice and brown on both sides. Place on a plate.

Meanwhile, mince a clove of garlic and throw it in a small pan of hot oil or butter. Stir a few seconds and then throw in some greens. I happened to use frozen beet greens but spinach, chard, or kale would work, too. Season with salt and pepper and saute until cooked through. Dump the greens on top of the corn bread.

Next, fry an egg or two. Make sure to season these with salt and pepper, too. I like to leave my eggs runny so the yolk soaks down onto the greens and corn bread.

Anyway, place the eggs on top of everything and immediately chow down.

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Yammy Turkey

I can’t say my whole family liked this dish but I loved it. It’s pretty much just turkey gravy with mashed sweet potatoes on top. It’s like a slice of Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving is over.

The potatoes make this dish so sweet. That’s why I loved it but also why Brad wasn’t a fan. I guess he doesn’t like sweet gravy. Which, admittedly, is a little weird to think about but I still enjoyed it.

I took these pictures before I baked the casserole since the light was better in the afternoon when I assembled it. Just imagine that the gravy bubbled up on the edges of the mounds of potatoes and the tips of the potatoes darkened a bit. Very pretty, if I do say so myself.

Yammy Turkey

Recipe adapted from my Aunt Amber’s

1/2 cup chopped onion

butter, for sauteing

3 cups chopped cooked turkey (or chicken)

2 1/2 cups turkey gravy (a thick gravy works better than a thin one)

3 – 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup hot milk

salt/pepper to taste

Saute onions in a bit of butter until soft. Add turkey and gravy. Pour into a casserole dish. Beat potatoes and milk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dollop on top of the turkey. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly around the edges. Serve immediately.

Serves: 6

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