Chicken stuffed shells

Another Pinterest find and a keeper too!  Next time I make it though I will use half the amount of spinach.  And run it through the food chopper too.

What you need:

12 jumbo shells - I used nearly an entire box of Barilla jumbo shells, had maybe 8 left over
1 1/2 C. pasta sauce (12 oz) - I used Hunt's Garlic & Herb pasta sauce
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
4 0z  diced, cooked chicken - two chicken breasts hand shredded worked really well
1 C. frozen spinach.  thawed, drained, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oregano
1 T. chopped basil
3/4 C. shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 C. cottage cheese  - I used large curd1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350*

1.  Cook shells in boiling water according to package, rinse in cold water and set aside.

2  Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray, spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce evenly over bottom of pan, set aside.

3.  Stir together egg, cottage cheese, chicken, spinach, spices, 1/4 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

4.  Fill each shell with mixture, place in pan.

5.  Spread remaining sauce on top.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake.

*The picture is left overs paired with broccoli cheddar rice.  Would be great to have some garlic toast to go with it too!   Husband AND four year old approved!

Cheesy Taters & Sausage Casserole

On this one I ended up improvising and tweaking a bit.  I couldn't find Velveeta cheese anywhere in my local Kroger and I already had sausage I could use.  Still, it turned out yummy!

Original Recipe:

1 pound (3 cups) potatoes; peeled, boiled, cubed

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

2 C. milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 pound (8 oz) Velveeta cheese, cubed.

1/2 C. (4oz) sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 pound (3 cups) smoked sausage

Directions: Preheat oven 350* F

- Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch "half moons".  Cook in fry pan 15 minutes.

- Meanwhile, put cooked & diced potatoes in 2 quart casserole dish.  Add cooked meat & gently toss.

- Mix all remaining ingredients (except shredded cheddar) in saucepan over medium heat until warm, melted & smooth, stirring constantly.

- Pour sauce over meat & potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and bake 30-35 minutes.

My Way!

2  large potatoes, peeled & diced

4 T butter

4 T flour

2 C. milk

8 oz  shredded cheese

6  stadium brats, sliced.

I preheated the oven to 350*

-I threw the taters in a pot of water to boil them, threw the brats in a fry pan to sizzle for about 15 minutes.

-Meanwhile, I melted the butter in a sauce pan, mixed in the flour, slowly added the milk until nice and smooth (stirring constantly).  Then I dumped in 1/4 bag of mexican blend, shredded cheese, 1/4 bag of sharp cheddar shredded cheese, stirred until melted. (because I had those two cheeses that needed to be used up)

- Drained the taters and spread half on bottom of my casserole dish, layered on the brats and topped with remaining taters.

- Poured sauce over entire thing and tossed it in the oven for 30 minutes.

We seasoned to taste after dishing it into individual bowls.  Taters came out firm enough for hubby to stab with a fork, and soft enough for me to mash.