Italian Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells is a recipe that's always intimidated me for some reason but tonight, I took the plunge. And found out that it's very simple to make! So, for everyone else that may want to follow suit, here's the recipe:

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Large shell pasta (I ended up filling about 13 so adjust the recipe as needed)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1-2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1 jar spaghetti sauce 

Preheat oven to 350. Brown your ground turkey & add all the seasonings. Once it's browned and drained of grease, add 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan & cook on low. In the meantime you should boil your shells until they're al dente, or not quite all the way tender. Drain your pasta and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove your meat mixture from heat and fill each shell with a tbsp of mozzarella & a tbsp of meat, until stuffed. Do each shell this way and lay them, open side up, in a baking dish. Once all your shells are stuffed, pour the remaining sauce over them and bake for about 15-20 minutes to finish softening the shells & melting the cheese. Serve with garlic bread, salad or side(s) of your choice. Enjoy! 

Mexican Chili

This is a little bit chili and a little bit taco soup, so I'm going to call it Mexican Chili. I've made this before with chicken and now I'm making it with ground turkey. It's a pretty close call as to who will reign champion because they're both delicious! This is a crock pot creation with minimal time required at a stove, which is a plus. If you're totally anti-stove, then just throw frozen chicken tenders in the crock pot when you start it and come back later to shred the chicken. Here goes...

1 lb ground turkey 

1 can low sodium black beans

1 can mild tomatoes & green chiles 

1 can mexi-corn (the corn with red and green peppers mixed in)

1 can tomato sauce

1 packet chili seasoning 

1/2 onion, chopped 

Salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder to taste

Throw all the canned goods and the onion into the crockpot. Stir in the chili seasoning and let it all cook on low for about 4-6 hours. Brown your ground turkey and add it to the crockpot and then add salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder to suit your taste. The chili powder is optional as it definitely spices the dish up. Let it cook for an additional 30 minutes or so and then serve however you like. Be creative and enjoy!