I don’t usually make things up… (Vegetable Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce)

I don’t normally make up recipes.

I’m just bad at it.

Maybe that’s why I like baking — I love having precise measurements for EVERYTHING.

That being said, when someone on my cooking message board posted about “veggie stuffed shells in tomato cream sauce” last week, I was dying to try it.

And then she said she didn’t really have a recipe, and was just winging it.

Now, I could’ve panicked, or I could’ve just not made them.

But I foraged ahead.

And they were delicious.

Measurements are obviously approximate…I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in my abilities, and figured they would suck, so I didn’t really keep track LOL

Vegetable Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce

(Me, with the assistance of StephnJohn on What’s Cooking)

1/4 cup finely chopped broccoli

1-1 1/2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 small zucchini, shredded and squeezed of all it’s extra juice

1/2 lb white mushrooms, finely diced

1 box jumbo shells

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (You can easily do it with 1 — I made two so there would be leftover sauce….I used 1 can roasted garlic flavor and 1 can basil flavor, and added some oregano, additional garlic, salt and pepper to it)

1/2 – 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

16 oz part skim ricotta cheese

16 oz lowfat cottage cheese

1/2 cup – 3/4 cup light cream

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

– Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the jumbo shells according to the directions; drain and rinse and set aside to cool slightly

– Combined two cans  crushed tomatoes — I used one roasted garlic flavor and one basil flavor to automatically flavor the sauce. Add some oregano and a little more garlic and let simmer

– Chop up fresh spinach, fresh mushrooms, canned artichokes, fresh broccoli, and shredded fresh zucchini — really anything you like! Eggplant would be delicious….

– In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped vegetables.  Cook it for 5 minutes or so until veggies begin to wilt/cook down.

– In a large bowl, mix the veggies with 16 oz ricotta and 16 oz cottage cheese, salt and pepper.

– Remove the sauce from the heat, and add the cream, stirring to incorporate it

– Place a small amount of sauce in your bakewear, then begin stuffing your shells and placing them in the dish

– Cover with sauce (you will definitely have leftover sauce if you use two big cans), then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese

– Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Ryan’s Zucchini Cakes

After a (too brief) visit home to see family and friends, I was rewarded (begged to take?) a couple of zucchini home with me.

Since I like them, but DH does not, I set out to find a recipe juuuust for me.

I settled on Ryan’s Zucchini Cakes, from the Pioneer Woman’s website.

These were pretty tasty, but I didn’t have anything to dip them in (Ryan recommends ranch dressing). I think pasta sauce would have been tasty, as they definitely tasted “italian”.

Ingredients

As much zucchini as you need to get rid of – shredded and squeezed of excess juice(I used 2 medium-sized zucchini)

1 tbsp minced garlic (I used the pre-minced stuff – LOVE. IT.)

1/2 – 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup italian blend cheese

1-2 eggs (depending on the consistency of the “batter”)

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

Directions

– Toss your shredded and squeezed zucchini in a large bowl and throw in the garlic, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (you can add more if you need to later), the italian cheese, 1 egg, and some salt and pepper

– Mix with a fork — if your mixture isn’t a wet batter, add another egg and mix some more

– Heat 1/4″ of oil in a skillet

– When oil is hot, lower globs of the zucchini batter into the oil; press with a fork to make cakes

– Cook 2-3 minutes or until brown, then flip and brown the other side

– Serve warm with ranch dressing for dipping (or pasta sauce! I think it’d be tasty!)