Italian Manicotti with Meat Sauce

 Italian Manicotti  with Meat Sauce is rich and cheesy, you can make it without the Meat or use Italian Sausage if you like. This is so good you need to make it

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6 servings

What you Need:

1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
12-14 manicotti shells(depends on brand)
3 cups meat marinara sauce, recipe follows
1  cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we like it thicker so we use more of this cheese)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of half Pecorino and Parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain and pat dry. (I cook the pasta about 7 minutes so it's firm to stuff)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shell and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dot with the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Meat Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh basil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Steps to make it:

chop your veggies up, 

I have frozen spinach to add(optional

The cheeses

How to mix your cheese

put cheese into a baggie, cut the corner off to fill shells

CREAMY TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup is perfect comfort food and so easy to make! Have dinner ready and on the table in no time.

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SERVES: 6

What you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

28 oz diced tomatoes (or 6 fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped)

2 teaspoons Italian dried herbs, (or seasoning)

1/2-1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)suit to your taste

4 cups chicken stock

28 oz jar tomato puree

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 9oz packet cheese tortellini (I use frozen, any flavour you like)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly torn or chopped

Gather Ingredients ahead of time

Follow the Ingredient list above

Let the soup base simmer on low so it doesn't stick 15 minutes

How to make it:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add tomatoes, Italian herbs (or seasoning) and chili flakes if using. Let tomatoes cook for about 5 minutes until juices have released and mixed through the flavours in the pot, then mix through chicken stock, tomato puree and tomato paste.

Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Partially cover pot with a lid; bring to a simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in the cream and tortellini, cook on medium-low until tortellini is just cooked, (about 6-7 minutes). Add the parmesan cheese, spinach and basil; stir until wilted. Serve warm.

Oh so Delicious, Enjoy

Warm Chicken Ranch Wraps

 

These are so good, easy to make too You can either fry or grill the chicken, your choice. Another nice thing about these is that they take care of all your food groups in one wrap!

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What you Need:

Serves 8

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 small onion diced

1 or 2 small peppers diced(I used the mini peppers) you can use what you like

4-5 garlic cloves minced

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup ranch-style salad dressing

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper(optional)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 cup vegetable oil

8 (10 inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 can diced tomatoes(I used basil herb tomatoes) any flavor you like works

 

How to make them:

Cut chicken breast into strips.

Grilled chicken method: Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken, cook over medium-high heat 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown and juices run clear. Add onion,  garlic, peppers and cook 5 minutes. . Next add the can of tomatoes mix in cook just another 2 minutes to heat through. Add the cooked rice, stir all together cover and remove form the heat and let stand for 5 minutes and Stir in the salad dressing.

Fried Chicken Method: Dip chicken into buttermilk then roll them in the flour mixture. Fry for 3 minutes each side in a 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) skillet with 1 cup of oil in it. Cook the onions, garlic, peppers up till just golden, stir in tomatoes let it warm up the tomatoes then add cooked rice, gently stir all to mix.  Stir in the salad dressing. last toss in the chicken mix gently

Fill each warm tortilla with chicken and rice mixture. Fold in both sides of the wrap. Holding in the folded sides roll the wrap tightly from the bottom to the top, keeping the ingredients firmly packed as you go. Slice each wrap in half diagonally and serve.

The mixture is ready to place in tortillas

Thanks for following me and trying these delicious recipes

Chopped Chives in the Freezer

 I am always out of chives, I buy them or grow them in the summer but when I cut and put in the refrigerator but before I use them, they spoil often. So here's a tip! Cut your chives or buy some, dice them up and put them in a saved plastic bottle. I wash out a water bottle. Use a funnel to put them in the bottle, then place the bottle in the freezer. When you need chives just take out the bottle and shake out what you need. Game changer.

chop up some chives

wash a water bottle, you don't even have to dry it, just drain

\Use a funnel to put the chives in the bottle

Place in freezer 

When you want chives take out shake and top your food

This is such a saver, now I won't waste chives when I buy or grow them.

You can have chives all year round too.

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Basil Pesto

Serve pesto on fresh pasta, spread on a halved baguette and broiled, or as a 

pizza topping. This recipe calls for basil, but you can experiment with 

other herbs such as parsley, thyme, tarragon, and cilantro. If you’re a 

garlic fan, feel free to use more.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
In a blender or food processor, combine garlic, basil, nuts, salt, pepper,
and half of the oil. Puree, then slowly add remaining oil. If using
immediately, stir in Parmesan; if not, freeze mixture in a resealable
plastic bag, squeezing out any air. (Pesto turns brown when exposed to air.)
Add Parmesan before serving.
Yield:
1 to 1-1/2 cups