Spinach & Pancetta Stuffed Shells

 I was super ambitious yesterday and did some cooking!  I made a big double batch of Green Chili Meat (plenty for lunch, dinner, and the freezer) and these Stuffed Shells which were perfect to put in while Penny took a very long, late nap today.  These were really easy to make - but, if you wanted it to be even easier the filling would be great in lasagna with some of those oven ready noodles.  I'm definitely trying that sometime too.  If you're not familiar with pancetta you should be.  It is GOOD!  It's cured pork, similar to bacon but not smoked.  If you can't find it or don't want to you could always use finely chopped ham or bacon.  But you totally should try it.  I sort of winged it on the recipe so the measurements aren't really precise.  "Till it looks right" is the rule of thumb for this.

Spinach & Pancetta Stuffed Shells 

(I don't know why, but it will not post this picture right side up....I tried)

Ingredients:

1 box Jumbo Shells

1 pkg (2 cups) Italian cheese blend

1 box frozen chopped spinach

1 sm package pancetta (just realized that  I didn't notice the ouces... 'till it looks right)

Ricotta cheese

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce (we are partial to Giada DeLaurentis Vegetable Marinara...yum!)

1 egg

salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder to taste

Brown pancetta in a skillet.  Let it drain/cool on a paper towel lined plate.  

Cook the spinach in the microwave according to the package.  Place in colander to drain (you may want to press it with the back of the spoon.  Get it as dry as possible before mixing with the cheese.  Mix spinach, pancetta, ricotta, 1 cup cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl.  Set aside.  

Boil shells according to the package, I put a little olive oil in the water so they wont stick.  Drain pasta and spread out to cool on an olive oil-lined cookie sheet until they're cool enough to handle.

Spoon 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Once shells are cool enough to handle, spoon filling into each and place them on top of the sauce in an even layer.

Top with remaining sauce and cheese.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until cheese is browned.

Chicken Noodle Stoup

 

A few years ago when I actually got to watch TV regularly I saw Rachael Ray make a "stoup" thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew. I loved the idea and changed the recipe a little from what she originally had it as! It is a great meal on a cold winters day! You know we get a lot of those here in Az ;)
 
Chicken Noodle Stoup
1-2 small cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Chicken stock ( I like low sodium)
1 package Egg Noodles
Celery- I use 4 to 5 stalks
Carrots- I use 4 to 5 large "bugs bunny carrots" as the boys call them :)
Diced onion, I use a very small amount (like 2TBS diced)
2 tbs butter
1 rotisserie chicken (easy to grab on the way home)
French bread 
 
Chop veggies and simmer in pan with butter until translucent. Season to taste (we just use salt and pepper) and cook until tender. Add the chicken stock now, I usually only do one can at this point. While this is simmering shred the chicken and boil water for egg noodles. I add one can of cream of chicken soup to the veggie/broth mixture at this point and then add in the shredded chicken. If you want it thinner you can either add more broth or water. If you like it a little more stew like add the 2nd can of cream of chicken soup. Let this cook together until the flavors blend (like 10-15 mins) and slice the french bread. We like to make it into a cheesy bread to dip in the stoup. This is a super quick and easy meal and is YUMMY! :)

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo

This is another Pinterest experiment.  The original recipe came from a site called Iowa Girl Eats.  Her version had the orzo as a side dish to chicken.  I had some chicken already cooked so I decided to cube it and add it to the orzo for an easy one pot meal.  It was awesome!  If you like Mac n' Cheese (and really, who doesn't?) you'll love this for a fun swap out.  Plus, it has broccoli so that takes away all the calories from cheese right?  ...OK so maybe I fell asleep during nutrition, but it is easy and delicious!  We actually made a double batch so we have leftovers for work week lunches.

Ingredients:
         1 c   Orzo
   1 1/2 c   Broccoli florets, chopped
      1/4 c   Cheddar cheese, shredded
     2 Tbs   Parmesan cheese, grated
     1 Tbs   Butter
1/4-1/2 c   milk
          4     Chicken tenders, cooked (any leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken would be great too.)

Directions:
Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water. Half way through cooking add broccoli florets.  Cook until broccoli & orzo are tender.  Drain well  then return to the pot.  Add chicken, cheeses, butter, and 1/4 cup milk.  Stir well and add more milk if needed.