This meal rocks. I know that is tooting my own horn, but seriously, this is good eats. Gen, when he came home at 11pm and took a bite of the cold leftovers, said, “This is better than most restaurant food.” Not loving the “most,” but I’ll take it! The stuffed shells are cozy, warm, downhome eats. The salad is bright, tangy, and texture-rich. Awesome combo that I will surely make again. Once again, I found the salad on the wonderful Budget Bytes and made very slight adjustments. While most recipes for stuffed shells call for spinach, I LOVE Swiss chard, and it was on sale, so I used it instead. It adds a little sweetness and a nice variety of colour to the dish. Also, the step-by-step is PACKED with pictures… just a warning.
Stuffed Shells
Adapted from a Canadian Living recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 3 small (or 1.5 large) red onions, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) tomato sauce
- 1 box jumbo pasta shells (these were hard to find, I had to hit up 4 grocery stores… I was worried I’d have to stuff tiny little shells)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 bunches (about 10 leaves) of Swiss chard (I used both the white and red versions)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tub (475g) ricotta cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In large pan, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; cook beef, breaking up with spoon, for 8 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain fat, and remove meat from pan. Set aside.
- Trim your Swiss chard, removing the tips of the stems and any brown spots. Rinse the chard and cut/tear into quarters. Steam the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Place steamed chard onto a tea towel to dry a bit.
- Add remaining oil to pan; sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Return beef to pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened.
- Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well and place on damp tea towel.
- Filling: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine steamed Swiss chard, ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, parsley, onions, eggs, basil, nutmeg, and pepper.
- Pour half of the tomato-meat sauce into 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Spoon heaping tablespoons of filling into each pasta shell. Arrange snugly, stuffed side up, in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
- While baking, make salad!
Apple Dijion Kale Salad
From Budget Bytes.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 medium granny smith apple
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
DIRECTIONS
- Tear or cut the kale leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into 2-inch squares and then rinse well under cool water (in a colander). Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a bowl combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Using a hand blender, blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth.
- Wash the apple and chop it into chunks. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then combine it in a large bowl with the apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat.
Step-by-steps
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In large pan, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; cook beef, breaking up with spoon, for 8 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain fat, and remove meat from pan. Set aside.
- Trim your Swiss chard, removing the tips of the stems and any brown spots. Rinse the chard and cut/tear into quarters. Steam the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Place steamed chard onto a tea towel to dry a bit.
Swiss chard is one of my favourites. Also wonderful steamed and sautéed with butter and garlic.
- Add remaining oil to pan; sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Return beef to pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened.
Sautéed onions and garlic, with spices added!
- Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well and place on damp tea towel.
Jumbo shell is like the mama of the regular shells. Awww so cute.
- Filling: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine steamed Swiss chard, ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, parsley, onions, eggs, basil, nutmeg, and pepper.
Stuffing for shells!
- Pour half of the tomato-meat sauce into 13 x 9-inch casserole dish. Spoon heaping tablespoons of filling into each pasta shell. Arrange snugly, stuffed side up, in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil.
Stuffing the shells. They looked nice and neat until I had to start shoving them into places to finishing the filling batch.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Pre-oven layer confirmation. Niiiiice.
- While baking, make salad!
Salad! I have no idea why this picture is sideways… oh well.
