new directions...

hubby and i watched "julie and julia" last weekend...i giggled when she started her food blog! i'd been thinking of adding some other types of posts to my previously "all family all the time" blog that ya'll are reading...so today i'll be posting the first of my recipe posts! enjoy.

I watched the Rachael Ray show, and she made something similar to this dish...so i tried to find it online...but couldn't find the recipe. so i tried to "rememberize" the ingredients...and my attempt turned out delish!

so here's what i did....

1 16 oz box of large shells (not the extra large stuffing kind)
1 lrg container ricotta cheese
Parmesan/romano shredded cheese
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 lg can crushed tomatos (28 oz)
1 large carrot
1 large white onion
4 cloves garlic

i sauteed the onion in a bit of butter (you can use oil instead), then put some of the onion in a seperate pot, and added the spinach to the rest. I grated garlic over the spinach and over the seperated onion, then i covered the spinach, and added a big can of tomatoes to the separated onion/garlic pot. Grate the carrot into your sauce (it adds a touch of sweetness and some veggie goodness too!) Boil the pasta to al dente, drain and return to the hot pot. stir ricotta cheese into hot pasta, stir gently. add a handful (or three) of the parm/ricotta cheese and stir gently to combine.

Now comes the fun part. take your favorite casserole dish, and put a smidge of your red sauce in the bottom. then, dump the pasta mixture in the dish, and cover with the red sauce, saving a bit to serve at the table. top with a bit more cheese, then bake until bubbly.



now ain't that purty?!?