Over-stuffed Shells...

I just need to start off by saying...Happy Devils winning Sunday :) oh yea and some football game is on today too *shrugs*

It's one of those "I need comfort food" Days...

Ingredients:
3lbs ground turkey (you can use, beef, sausage, or chicken if u prefer or none if you want also)
1 large green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb Spinach (fresh or frozen)
3lbs ricotta cheese
16oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 (13oz each) Jars of favorite tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, cut in half long ways
1 box Jumbo Pasta Shells
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder

Did you know? Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, Vitamin K, magnesium, folate, iron, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, protein, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids.

**Prepare pasta shells-boil for 10-12minutes, drain seperate shells and set aside, u want them a little stiff so they hold shape when stuffing, cooking will finish when baked in oven**

1. Warm a large skillet with olive oil and place 3 cloves of garlic sliced in half in the oil. When you can smell the garlic take out of oil and disguard. (you just want the garlic to flavor the oil, don't let the garlic cook or brown)

2.While your oil heats dice peppers and onions season with salt pepper and italian seasoning.

3. Saute in oil until translucent and starting to gain color. Set aside until later.

4. If using frozen spinach defrost and squeeze out ALL of the liquid before sauteing.  If using fresh rinse and dry saute till wilted. Mix with set aside peppers and onions.
5. In the same skillet brown meat, season with salt pepper garlic powder and italian seasoning. As always I do not use anything in my pan just the natural fat in my ground meat to brown it. I do drain my meant to allow best browning.

6. Mix veggie mixture in with browned meat add 2 cups of tomato sauce

7. Add 8oz mozzarella cheese and the entire container (3lbs) ricotta cheese.(I know it looks like a ton of stuffing but believe me you'll go through it)
8. Spoon sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (this keeps the shells from sticking) and Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

9. Using a spoon (I use a soup spoon) stuff each shell lining them up in your baking dish. In mine I was able to do 3 rows of 7 per dish and did two dishes full.This used up all but 2 shells out of the box that I prepared.

Aren't they pretty? I definetly over stuff these, have to balance out those carbs with some protein!

10. Once you have finished stuffing top with additional sauce and mozzarella cheese.

(Sorry for the dark picture, I realized after I put them in the oven that I forgot to take a picture for this step, so I stuck my camera in the oven :D)

11. Bake for 25min until sauce is bubbling and cheese is brown. Take out and let sit for about 5min before serving. 

So these have everything you might want in them. Protein, Veggies, Carbs but hmmm how about some cheesy garlic bread made using a compound butter.

Compound Butter's are mixtures of butter and supplementary ingredients. Primarily, they are used to enhance flavor in various dishes

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Italian Bread

Compound Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

5 cloves of garlic, minced

mozzarella cheese

pepper

1/2 tsp salt

garlic powder

Italian Seasoning

1. In a small bowl cut up 1 stick of butter

2. Mince 5 cloves of garlic and sprinkle with salt

3. Mix garlic and salt with butter

4. Add Italian seasoning and pepper

5 Mix all ingredients well! 

- This does much better with very soft room temp butter. I used the back of a fork to smoosh everything together.

6. Slather (yes, I said slather) on bread top again with a sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper

7. Toast in oven @450 degrees for 15 mintues (I did this the same time as I was baking my shells so I used my toaster over...multitasking!)

8. Take out sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 5min until cheese is melted and brown.

9. Cut into slices and serve!

If you have any left over compound butter you can easily roll it into a log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Remember to lable with date and flavors. Then you can just reach for the flavor combo you want if you have more than one. Compound butters are great to have on hand when making quick week night meals. Can use them with fish, steak, chicken. Possibilities are endless!

Enjoy!
<3 Laura ^.^