Cheesy Stuffed Shells

I made this recipe for a dinner party a couple of weeks ago & it was a hit. It's from the latest Kraft Food & Family magazine:

1 container cottage cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 large tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and seasoning; spoon into shells.

Mix sauce and tomatoes; spoon half into 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 2 minutes or until melted.

Tips:

Spray foil with cooking spray before using to cover casserole. Place, sprayed-side down, on casserole to prevent sticking.

Make Ahead:

Assemble recipe as directed. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, bake, covered, at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes or until heated through.

Freeze Ahead:

Reserve 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Assemble recipe as directed, but do not top with the reserved mozzarella. Wrap casserole in foil; freeze. When ready to serve, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Unwrap casserole; cover with foil. Bake 55 minutes or until heated through, removing foil after 30 minutes. Top with reserved mozzarella; bake 2 minutes or until melted.

Tortellini with Spinach Walnut Pesto

4 ounces chopped walnuts

2 family size (18 ounce) packages, cheese or mushroom and cheese filled fresh tortellini (sold in the dairy aisle)

1 cup chicken stock or broth

10 ounces (1 package) baby spinach, reserve a few leaves for garnish

2 cloves garlic

2/3 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano or Romano

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly grated

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

Toast walnut pieces in a small pan or toaster oven until lightly browned. Remove from heat and cool.

Place a large pot of water on to boil. When it comes to a rolling boil, salt the water and cook tortellini according to package directions.

Heat 1 cup of chicken stock or broth to a boil and remove from heat.

Using a food processor, working in batches, grind spinach leaves with nuts, chicken stock and garlic. Transfer ground spinach nut paste to a large bowl. Stir in the cheese, nutmeg and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Coat hot, cooked tortellini with sauce, tossing in the bowl you prepared sauce in. Turn pasta out on to a serving platter and garnish with a few baby spinach leaves.

Baked Ziti with Pesto

Serves 4 (I made a double recipe)

1/2 pound ziti
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozerella cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup store-bought or homemade pesto

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil an 8x8 inch baking dish.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta for 7 minutes. It will be partially cooked. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again thoroughly.

3. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat and cook until very thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Remove the bay leaf.

4. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzerella, about half the parmesan cheese, the pesto, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

5. Put half of the cooked pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with about a third of the tomato sauce. Spread the ricotta mixture on the sauce in an even layer. Cover with the remaining pasta and then the remaining sauce. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzerella and the remaining parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Linguine with Tomato-Basil Sauce

If food was judged by aroma alone, this dish would score a 10+. But it doesn't just smell good.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (14 oz.) can Italian-style tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fresh oregano (or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup milk
8 oz. uncooked linguine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add next 6 ingredients and bring mixture to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 mintues or until most of the liquid evaporates. Reduce heat. Stir in milk and simmer 5 mintues. Set aside. Cook linguine according to package directions omitting salt. (Al dente is best). Drain linguine well and pour tomato sauce over hot linguine. Toss well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

**of course you can add sauteed shrimp, scallops, chicken or others to this dish as well.

Serves 2-4.