Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce

Oh hey, remember me?  Yeah, I used to blog here!  Well, that was before I was pregnant and could eat food…let me clarify…look at food without having the sudden urge to puke.  I'm 19 weeks today and I think I might be feeling a tad better.  I really don't want to jinx myself but this might be the real deal.  

The other day I had the energy and lapse of nausea I have been dreaming of for quite some time and made these delicious Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce.  Holy pregnant lady happiness!  They are a slight adaptation to my traditional Stuffed Shells recipe and I have to say this adaptation is freaking amazing.  I licked my plate clean…this sauce, you guys, THIS SAUCE is amazing.  It is perfect with the shells and cheese but would be outstanding on any type of pasta you have in your pantry.  

So, let's get to it.

 Start with finely chopping an onion

 Pour a little canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet

 Add in the onion and sauté until they are translucent

 Like so

 Add in a pound of ground turkey.  You can use ground beef if you would like but I really like ground turkey in these.

Be sure to season with plenty of salt and pepper.  Cook the meat until it is no longer pink.  Set aside for now.  

 While the meat cooks, your can start on the sauce.  Add a little butter to a medium sauce pan

 Finely mince some garlic, add that to the pan as well.

 Let it cook for just a few minutes.  Be careful this can burn quickly.

 Once the garlic has had a chance to cook, pour in the heavy cream.

 Add in grated parmesan cheese.

Give it a quick stir

 Add your noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the box.  You want them al dente since you will be putting the whole kit and caboodle in the oven.  (Did I really just say that?)

 Season the sauce with pepper

 And a pinch of salt

 Then you add in your favorite jarred marinara sauce.  For real. Give it a stir and bring it to a quick simmer…not a boil but simmer while the noodles cook.

 Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  You will need ricotta

 Shredded mozzarella cheese

 Pour in the ground turkey/beef, it is okay if it is still pretty hot, it will just help melt the cheese

 Sprinkle in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning

 And grated parmesan cheese.  I'm sure shredded would be fine as well.

 Give it a really good stir so it is completely combined

 Drain the pasta and drizzle with a little olive or canola oil so they do not stick.

 Prepare your baking dish by spraying the heck out of it with cooking spray and quite a few ladles of the luscious sauce.

 Stuff the shells.  I found the easiest way to do this is by using a large tablespoon and literally stuffing them.  The filling acts almost like glue and is easily molded into the shells.

 Arrange them in a baking dish.  As you can see there is quite a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan, enough to go about 1/2 way up the sides of the shells.

 Sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese.  Into the oven it goes

 Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.  Do you see why I told you to spray the heck out of the baking dish!?  I promise it was super easy to clean up because I did it.

 I garnished with a bit of dried parsley

 Look at how pretty these are.

 If you can believe it, they taste even better than they look!

Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce 
(Makes about 24 stuffed shells.  We eat two for dinner with a nice salad)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil, separated
1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, separated
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce
24 medium shelled pasta
15 oz ricotta cheese (I used fat free)
3 cups mozzarella cheese, separated
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dried parsley, optional for garnish

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Place a large skillet on medium high heat.  Drizzle in the oil and add the onion.  Saute until translucent.

Once the onion is cooked, add in the ground turkey/beef.  Season with salt and pepper, cook until no longer pink.  Set aside once cooked.

Add the butter to a medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Once butter is melted, add in the garlic.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant but not browned.  Be careful, this can burn easily.  Once the garlic is cooked, add in the heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a bubble but do not boil.  Once bubbling, pour in the marinara sauce.  Stir and bring to a simmer, again don't boil it.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.  You want it to be al dente since you will be baking it all later.

While the pasta cooks, combine the ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, ground turkey/beef, italian seasoning and 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive/canola oil so the pasta does not stick.  Using a large tablespoon, stuff the shells with the filling.

To prepare the baking dish, spray liberally with cooking spray.  Ladle in the pasta sauce so there is a good amount at the bottom of the dish.  Place as may stuffed shells in the dish as you can fit.  Top with the last cup of mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.  To serve, garnish with dried parsley.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz


**A few notes:

1. This reheats beautifully for left overs
2. This makes a TON.  I usually make this recipe then freeze half of it, ready to go in the oven.  I prepare it in one of those tin foil baking dishes, cover with Press and Seal and then tin foil.  When I'mr ready to make it, I try to remember to take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the day before.  Then I bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes or so with the tin foil covering it, REMOVE the Press and Seal.  If I forget to defrost it, I put it in a 350 degree oven with the tin foil (no Press and Seal) for about an hour or so to ensure they are fully cooked through.
3.  The sauce reheats well so if you have additional sauce, save it, freeze it and use it for a different recipe!

Sloppy Joes or Barbecues?

 I had plans dinner tonight... knocking off one more recipe on the list, Penne Rustica.  But, on the way home I decided I didn't want to go to the grocery store.  Therefore, I checked out what was on the white board for dinner options.

My sister (technically my sister-in-law but I call her my sister-we were meant to be) Emily, showed me a few years ago her "dinner list."  The dinner list consists of options that she has the ingredients for dinner any given night.  It is a genius idea that I quickly adopted.  So, I got home and took a look at the white board.  Sloppy Joes stuck out for some reason.  

I have been eating Sloppy Joes for as long as I can remember.  Although Sloppy Joes are kind of Sloppy Joes, and I wasn't really sure if I should post such a boring entry, there is some history behind the evolution of my Sloppy Joe recipe.  

I remember in 7th grade going to my friend Jamie's house.  Her mom, Lois, was making Sloppy Joes for dinner with carrot sticks and wavy Lays chips, classic combination.  Lois made her Joes different than my mom, she added chicken gumbo soup.  A-mazing.  Just like the cooking tunes for tonight, totally inspired by my 7th grade buddy, Jamie. We used to j-a-m to this.....

Ever since then, I have used chicken gumbo soup for Sloppy Joes.  My mom has now adopted this to her recipe as well.  Chicken gumbo soup is hard to come by in the grocery store and a lot of times, they sell out.  Maybe others have caught on to Lois' secret.  I always buy at least two cans when I see it at the grocery store.  Never know when you need a good Joe.  Here's how I make my Sloppy Joes: 

Saute one medium union until almost translucent

Add a teaspoon (or about two cloves) of garlic.

Add one pound of ground beef or ground turkey to the pan. Brown.

Next add the chicken gumbo soup and about a cup and a half of ketchup.

Add a teaspoon of mustard, a couple shots (depending on how much you like salt.  I like salt) of worchestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (or more depending on how much heat you would like) and two teaspoons of white sugar.  I know, most recipes call for brown sugar. I distinctively recall my grandma putting white sugar into her Sloppy Joes, so that's what I do.  Grandmas know best.

Let simmer as long as you would like or eat as soon as things are combined.  The longer the Joes sit, the better they taste.  These are great in a crock pot as well just make sure there is enough moisture...add more ketchup if things seem to get too dry.

My other grandma would put water in empty-as-she-could-get-em ketchup bottles, shake them up and pop them in the fridge to be used for pork spare ribs, my favorite recipe of hers.  Grandma knows best, so I put a little water in the bottle, shook it around and popped it back into the fridge.  To this day, an almost empty ketchup bottle reminds me of my grandma, and that I need to pick up some spare ribs.  I know my mom still does this as well.

Moving on to the finished product, tonight we had the Joes on Thin Buns as we call them.  I think they are really called Sandwich Thins at the grocery store.  LOVE them, way better for you and you can actually taste what's in them.  Mandatory, at least in our house, to serve with pickles and American Cheese.

Yum.

We had a debate when we were eating about the Sloppy Joes vs. Barbecues.    I say Sloppy Joes, Mr. Schwartz says if it has chicken gumbo soup, they are barbecues.  My girlfriend Erin is from Wisconsin and she is the only one I know to call them barbecues as well.  Mr. Schwartz is surely not from Wisconsin.    What do you call what is pictured above?  Leave a comment to settle the debate.

Here's the condensed version of the recipe:

1 Medium onion
1 Lb Ground beef or turkey
1 Teaspoon (about) of garlic
1 Can chicken gumbo soup
1 1/2 Cup of Ketchup
1 Teaspoon of yellow mustard
2 Teaspoons of white sugar
2-4 Shakes of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Teaspoon (or more) of cayenne pepper

Saute chopped onion in a small amount of canola/vegetable oil. Add garlic and meat when onions are almost translucent.

When meat is brown, add remaining ingredients.

Simmer as long as you would like.  The longer the Joes simmer, the better they taste.

Serve with pickles and American cheese on your favorite bun.