Stuffed Pasta Shells

What else can you do with jumbo sized pasta shells?  We like them stuffed with veggies and chicken!

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Serves: 6-8

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 30min

INGREDIENTS: 

- Large shell pasta
- 1-2 large boneless chicken breasts, or 3-5 boneless chicken thighs.
- 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
- 1 red pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 handful sugar snap peas
- 1 handful yellow string beans
- 1 small white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 green onions
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2tbsp vegetable seasoning
- 1tbsp olive oil

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Chop vegetables into small (1cm) chunks.
- Mince garlic.
- Dice chicken into small (1cm chunks)
- In a large fry pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. When warm add onions, green onions and garlic. Saute until soft (approx 5 minutes).
- Add chicken, cook until done (approx 5 minutes).
- While the onion and chicken cook, cook the pasta to al dente per the instructions on the package.
- Once the chicken is cooked, add the remaining vegetables, and vegetable seasoning and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
- Add approx 1 cup of pasta sauce, mix well, and simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Arrange pasta shells, face up, in a large oven safe dish.
- Carefully (or not so carefully, depending on how pretty you want your end result), spoon veggie mix into pasta shells.
- Drizzle with additional sauce
- Sprinkle with cheese
- Bake until cheese has melted and begins to bubble/brown. Approx 15 minutes.
- Serve fresh out of the oven!

Beef and Veggie Pasta Bake

Baked pasta with crusty stringy cheese.  Totally simple to put together and hearty.  Unfortunately, it's almost mid-March, it's still snowing and freezing cold outside, so what could be better then staying in and the house filling with the aroma of baked pasta and cheese?  This should be an easy kid favorite, there's as much vegetables as there is pasta, but it's hidden under a layer of delicious cheese.  :-)  Heck, neither Nick and I are kids (we're still kids at heart though), and we still love this.  The leftovers are delicious reheated the next day as well. 

BEEF AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE

Serves: 8-10

approx prep time: 20min

approx cook time: 40min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 2 cups leftover roast beef, diced/pulled or 1.5lbs ground beef, browned

- 1 package of Macaroni pasta (375g uncooked) - we used tri-colored pasta that worked quite well

- 3/4 to 1 bottle pasta sauce

- 1 red pepper

- 1 zucchini

- 1 large carrot, or 1 handful baby carrots

- 1 leek

- 2 bunches of green onions

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2tbsp Italian seasoning

- 3tbsp veggie seasoning

- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/4 cup Parmesan

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Dice all the vegetables into roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. Chop or press garlic into very fine pieces and set aside.

- Cook the pasta you're using, per the directions, until it's al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, saute the vegetables and garlic, along with the olive oil and vegetable seasoning in a fry pan, stirring often.
- Mix half the pasta sauce into the vegetables while still in the fry pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, all the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese.
- Add drained pasta, Italian seasoning, vegetables and 1 cup of cheese.
- Mix together thoroughly.
- Pour mixture into a large glass baking dish, making sure it's spread out evenly.
- Top the dish with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350F for 20min then broil for 3-4min to brown the cheese. Pay close attention to the oven while broiling to avoid burning the top.

3 Meat, 3 Cheese Pasta

3 Meat, 3 Cheese Pasta

Serves: 4

approx prep time: 10min

approx cook time: 20min

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1/2lbs Lean ground beef

- 5 strips of Bacon

- 2 Italian Sausages

- 1 Red Pepper

- 1 medium size Onion

- 1 handful green beans

- 1 Jar of your favourite Pasta Sauce

- 1tbsp Olive Oil

- 1tbsp Italian Seasoning

- 1tbsp Fresh Diced Parsley

- 1 cup shredded cheddar Cheese

- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

- Pasta of your choice (approx. 1 cup per person)

HOW TO MAKE IT:

- Dice the Red Pepper and Green beans and set aside.

- Dice the Onion and set aside.

- Slice the uncooked sausage and bacon into small chunks. Break apart ground beef into similar size chunks.

- Warm a frying pan over medium heat.

- Begin boiling a pot of water for the pasta.

- Add oil and Onions, stirring occasionally until the onion is starting to get soft.

- Add meat, and cook covered, stirring occasionally, add Italian Seasoning when partly cooked.

- Add vegetables, cover and cook for 3-4min.

- Start boiling the pasta, per the directions on the package.

- Add pasta sauce to meat/vegetable mix, reduce heat and let it simmer.

- Add parsley to the sauce just before serving, mix in thoroughly.

- Serve pasta, cover with sauce, and top with cheese.

Beef and Red pepper pasta.

BEEF AND RED PEPPER PASTA

Serves: 2
approx prep time: 5min
approx cook time: 10min

INGREDIENTS: 
1 lbs ground beef
4 slices genoa salami
2 green onions
1 red pepper
1.5 cups shell pasta (or other pasta of your choice)
1 tspb olive oil
1/2 cup old cheddar cheese, shredded
Club House Vegetable seasoning (approx. 1tbsp)
Seasoned salt (2-3 shakes)

REQUIRED KITCHEN GIZMOS:
small pot
frying pan with lid
stirring spoon
cutting board
chopping knife

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Start water boiling for the pasta.
- Chop pepper, onions, salami, and grate cheese.
- Heat frying pan on medium heat, adding olive oil when warm. Add pasta to boiling water.
- Brown onion and beef in pan, along with vegetable seasoning and seasoned salt.
- Add chopped red pepper, salami when beef is browned.
- Drain pasta and add to frying pan with meat and veggies when ready. Stir together.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese, stir together, serve.