This is my 90th post! A year ago I regularly opened my fridge unsure of what to make for dinner and now my electronic recipe box is filling before my eyes and my repertoire is expanding. Just this week I made these lentils for lunch, as well as a batch of chili, each time utilizing my ‘thoughts for next time’ notes.
As I begin to prepare for 2017, I’ve been revising and prioritizing my ‘things I want to make’ list. Inspired by a ‘Culinary Bucket List” on the Bon Appetit Baby Blog, as well as my google doc FILLED with recipes from my favorite blogs, the list below represents the highlights of goals that I hope to accomplish in the kitchen in the near-ish future. Please send links, tips, and other inspiration!
Note: This list is updated with links as I make each item.
- Try pickling something (this seems easy enough? I need to just try it)
- Learn to bake bread (I’ve failed once and need to try again)
- Learn to bake bread bowls and then fill them with soup
- Make homemade pasta
- Make meatballs inspired by regions around the world (North Africa, Central America, Asia, Sweden)
- Make an English Muffin Bread (I have my mother’s recipe for this and I will most likely make it over the holiday)
- Prepare homemade falafel (anyone have a recipe to share for this?)
- Prepare more meatless meals (tofu, seitan?)
- Use harissa for the first time
- Make some homemade pho
- Try and get broccoli cheddar soup to taste right (Every time it tastes too bland)
- Make homemade crackers (every time someone posts these I salivate with envy)
- Prepare chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. (I’m obsessed with this recipe despite never making it myself)
As for these shells, I made them for one of our mid-week friend dinners. They reminded me of bite sized lasagnas and were some welcome comfort food after a stressful few weeks at work. I used this recipe as my guide but used our homemade pasta sauce as the topper instead. The friends seemed to enjoy them as three full trays were devoured with only a handful left for lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
- 2 boxes of jumbo shells
- 3-4 cups of homemade pasta sauce
- 2.5 cups of skim ricotta cheese
- 16 oz of mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup of parmesan
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz of frozen spinach
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- Crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
Steps and Notes:
- Preheat the oven to 375
- Prepare the shells to al dente according to the box (about 13 minutes). Once cooked run under cold water and let cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, saute the onion until translucent then add the spinach and garlic. Cook until thawed and fully mixed
- In a mixing bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
- Then, add the spinach and onion saute.
- Note: taste the mixture now before adding the egg
- Scramble the two eggs in a side bowl and then add. Mix well
- In a baking dish add a bit of sauce to the bottom. Then, add a large spoonful of filling to each shell and add it to the dish
- Top the shells with a light layer of sauce, cover with foil, and then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for a final 5 minutes.
Thoughts for Next Time:
- Make them even spicier by adding more crushed red pepper to the spinach saute mixture
- Add sausage to the cheese mixture
- Try these caprese stuffed shells
- These butternut squash shells epitomize fall
The Pantry Portfolio 
Ohhh this looks so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Beautiful pics! 🙂
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Thank you! That compliment means so much from you. And these were VERY tasty. Perfect winter comfort food.
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Great recipe – thank you for sharing! By the way, if you really want to pickle something, here is a super easy one for starters: https://koolkosherkitchen.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/pickled-grape-tomatoes/. If you follow those tips, you can pickle everything in the world and add your own flavoring as you wish.
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Thank you for your recipe! I am going to do some experimenting this weekend and SO appreciate being able to read your thoughts. Wish me luck!
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Good luck, and please let me know how it comes out! Have a great weekend!
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Stuffed pasta shells are such a wonderful dinner to serve to guests! I love your wish list!
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Thank you! Fun to have it all written in one place. These shells were also so easy to reheat for leftovers, which is ideal.
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[…] via Spinach Stuffed Shells — The Pantry Portfolio […]
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Love the finish look. Looks like a happy fish!
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Congrats on reaching 90 posts and do try pickling – I have lots of ideas on my blog and would recommend starting with cucumbers – they are so easy!
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Thank you! I just read through your cucumber post and you’ve made the pickling process seem manageable so I plan to give it a go! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
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That’s great news – it really is so easy!
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I love this recipe. 🙂
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Love the idea of the culinary bucket list. We’ve been trying to make one ourselves so if you have an updated list, would love to get some inspiration 🙂
The stuffed shells is definitely something I would add to the list. We tried making pho once and it took a really long time! And you have to get the right spices… Let us know if you try it so we can compare notes 🙂
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We are heading to Italy for vacation next week and I have a feeling my list is going to expand throughout the trip. I’ll work on it this summer and will be sure to share! Stuffed shells are surprisingly easy and SO tasty. Lets indeed chat about Pho tips! Looking forward to sharing and reading what you come up with as well! –Deb
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[…] I wanted to capitalize on a full day of unplanned freedom…so I made something off of my ‘cooking bucket list’. Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic has intrigued me for a while and so after shoveling I set to […]
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[…] Dish I Don’t make Enough – Lamb Meatball Pita or Spinach Stuffed Shells […]
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