Cooking Up Cottage

Category: Main Dishes

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Are you tired of making the same pasta recipe every week? Well if you are this is the pasta dish for you. This Ricotta Stuffed Shell recipe is an escape from the ordinary. With jumbo pasta shells, mozzarella cheese, ground beef and delicious ricotta cheese, you’re going to love this dish. The pasta shells add a unique and fun flair to the meal while the ricotta cheese simply rewards your senses with its rich taste. The whole family will find the shells to be a fun change of pace. So take a vacation from the normal lasagna or spaghetti meal and enjoy this fun and easy shell dish.

Start by cooking the shells according to the package directions. You will need 30 shells to fill a 9″x13″ lasagna pan. Around 45 shells come in a (12 oz) package of shells. While the shells are cooking, chop up half of an onion and brown it in a pan with the 1lb. of ground beef. Season the meat with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

While the hamburger is browning, you can start mixing up the filling in a bowl. Mix 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese with 1 (15 oz.) package of ricotta cheese.

Now pour 1 (45 oz.) jar of Prego pasta sauce into a bowl and divide the browned hamburger equally between the two bowls.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the 9″x13″ pan.

Now it’s time to stuff the shells. Fill each shell with a spoonful of the filling.

Repeat with all 30 shells until your pan is full.

Top the shells with the remaining sauce.

Then add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese on the top of the sauce.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. And then uncover the shells and bake them for an additional 15 minutes.

Now you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:33]

April 24, 2015
Easy Marinara Sauce with Basil

Have you started planning your garden yet? I have and my plans definitely include a container herb garden. I had a garden by my back door last summer. I planted thyme, basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, mint, parsley and cilantro. I mixed three to four plants in each planter. Then I enjoyed watching them grow. They were easy to cut for recipes and it is was very convenient having them close to my back door. I was enjoying my garden so much last year that I included it in a post for Caprese Salad and my cat Mr. Big was even getting into the photo shoot .

This year I will be adding basil to my garden again. It is such a wonderful herb and it adds so much flavor to this Easy Marinara with Basil recipe.

And the other ingredients that this recipe includes are so healthy that you will have the energy to keep planning your garden. So stop dreaming about your herb garden for a second and get out the ingredients to make this great pasta dish.

First start by cooking the linguine pasta according to the package directions. Making sure to salt the water as directed by the package.

Then take two cloves of garlic, remove the skins and dice them.

Now heat the garlic in a pan for a few minutes with 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Add one (28 ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes and their juice to the pan crushing them with your hand as you add them.

Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3-4 sprigs of fresh basil chopped and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Now simmer the sauce over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes so that it can thicken. When the sauce has thickened, serve over linguine and garnish it with extra basil and ricotta or mozzarella cheese. Now you can enjoy your dish of pasta while you plan your garden. Enjoy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:32]

April 16, 2015
Cheesy Chicken Avocado Melt

Who can ever say no to anything involving avocado? I can’t and when I found this recipe in my cookbook (The Treasury of Creative Cooking) I knew I was onboard. This chicken breast recipe features a crispy, cornmeal breading. And when you add the cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, and most importantly the avocado, the flavors go through the roof. I have never used cornmeal before to bread my chicken. Boy, was I surprised! The cornmeal gives the exterior of the chicken a great crunchy texture and keeps the interior of the chicken moist. A nice change from what I usually use… Rice Krispies in my Easy Rice Krispies Chicken.

So if you are an avocado lover like me, you need to try this recipe.

So let’s get started by rinsing and patting dry the boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap to a 1/4-inch thickness.

Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon garlic salt in a bowl.

Dip chicken in spices covering each piece.

Combine the egg and water in a bowl and dip the chicken in the mixture.

Now cover the chicken with the remaining 1/3 cup of yellow cornmeal.

Heat the chicken in a pan with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Cooking around 2 minutes per side.

Remove chicken and arrange it in a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican blend or Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and top with sour cream, sliced avocado, green onions, and tomatoes.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:31]

April 9, 2015
Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

We love tex-mex recipes around my house! Today I have an easy homemade enchilada recipe for you. If you have been following my blog, you may remember a few weeks ago I made Chicken Enchiladas with a homemade red sauce. After making that recipe, I really wanted to try making chicken enchiladas using a homemade white sauce. This recipe was exactly what I wanted with its creamy sauce, cheese topping, and yummy filling.

It is also super simple and does not require many ingredients. Making it an easy weeknight family favorite. So if you are like me and can’t make enough enchilada recipes, give this delicious meal a try.

Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Then bake it in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. Your chicken might take less time since I used thick chicken breasts. Make sure your chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees before taking it out of the oven. Once it is cooked, shred the chicken and put it into a bowl that you will set aside.

Next chop the 1/2 of an onion and brown it in 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.

Mix the cooked onions with the shredded chicken.

Now add the one cup of Mexican blend cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the filling.

Now you can set this filling to the side and get started on the sauce. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan.

When the butter is melted, pull the pan off of the heat and add 3 tablespoons of flour.

Whisk the flour in to make a paste.

Then put the pan back on the heat and add 2 cups of chicken broth.

Cook on medium heat until it’s thick and it bubbles up. Then pull the pan off of the heat and add the 1 cup of sour cream.

Add 1 (4 oz. can) green chiles.

Pour a small layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.

Fill the tortillas with the filling and roll each one. Then place them seam side down in a 9×13 pan.

Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with 1 cup of cheese.

Cover the enchiladas with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Then you will want to uncover the pan and broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese. Now it is time to sit back and enjoy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:27]

Adapted from Raining Hot Coupons

March 11, 2015