Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

 Yet another pinterest find for me from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells (if all of yours survive the boil this is enough, to be safe you may want 1 1/2 boxes)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I think you could get away with one package)

1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (this was just enough. If you like it saucier use more)

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set shells out individually on a cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.

3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. *Tip: For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock baggie with the filling and snip a quarter size hole off the corner of the bag. Then you can just pipe the filling into the shells.

4. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.

5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.
Source: posted by Sisters Cafe; original recipe by Paula Deen

They look like a hot mess but these two are the all that was left...

My Notes:

I deviated from this recipe only because my iPad kept locking itself and I tired of typing in my password so I tried to do it from memory. Oops.

I only used one package of cream cheese and my ricotta was moldy (crap) so I threw some swiss cheese in the mixture to add some more cheesy-ness. I also forgot parsley but I'm ok with that.

9 WW pts on Points Plus

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

This is another recipe courtesy of Pinterest. I personally enjoyed this lasagna.... I was the only one which is unfortunate because it was tasty. We will chalk this up to a momentary lapse in memory. I forgot that someone does not like artichokes, except in spinach artichoke dip. Which makes no sense to me. But I am taking the entire pan (minus the 2.5 servings that were eaten) over to my parents house tonight so they can enjoy it.

Creamy White Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna 

by: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com

Ingredients
2 cups boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup basil, chopped
12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture. Spread half of the remaining cream cheese sauce onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining cheese sauce and mozzarella; cover. Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

My notes

I was a little hesitant about this whole cream cheese milk thing as the sauce but it turned out good. I added ricotta to the cream cheese, milk mixture mainly because I had it on hand and I love ricotta. I added fresh garlic and dried basil rather than powder and fresh respectively. Unfortunately my basil plant is not producing enough leaves for me to harvest without hindering further production. I also used a tad more mozzarella in the lasagna because I was afraid the chicken layer would be dry.... I was right (it needs something maybe put the ricotta in that mixture rather than the cream cheese). On that note, I also sauteed onions and mushrooms together and added them to the chicken mixture as well. I'd like to play with this recipe but since it was not well received I don't really see the point. If anyone does play with it let me know how it turns out!

 

Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

Hello all,

I tried this new recipe last night, I found it on Pinterest. Here's the link to the blog it came from.... link. This was kid-approved which surprised me because I added broccoli to the mix and she staunchly believes she does not like broccoli. I believe the word used was hate actually. But she gobbled this up and said it was yummy. Will wonders never cease?!?

Philly Cheesesteak Skillet

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese or 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup milk, or as needed

Directions

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place the ground beef and onion into a large skillet, and cook, stirring to crumble, until meat is no longer pink, and onion is tender. Just before the beef is done, add the bell peppers, and cook until tender, but still green. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese, condensed soup and milk to make a thick sauce.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the macaroni noodles. (Recipe adapted from All Recipe

 My notes

I didn't do 2 bell peppers as I thought that would be too much, but I wish I had. 2 peppers will not over power this. I used fat free cream cheese, 98% fat free COM, and the leanest ground beef I could find. So this was a relatively low fat dinner. Like I said earlier, I added broccoli to this for a little extra healthiness. I'm trying to find ways to incorporate more veggies into our meals. I also tossed in some Italian seasoning to the ground beef for a little more flavor. Everyone really enjoyed this and I'll be adding it to our rotation. I think next time I will also add mushrooms.