Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are so easy and super fun to make! I recently made a more traditional version of this dish with a group of children and they had a blast mixing and filing the shells. Not to mention, they ate every bite… spinach included! If you want to get your kids to eat their veggies, get them in kitchen. It truly makes a difference.

I liked this recipe because I love vegetable lasagna but I can’t afford the time it takes to make and bake in the oven. As you know if you follow my blog, when it’s dinner time, I’m hungry, and it better not take me long to make anything or else I’m out, down for the count, and wasting precious calories on anything I can get my hands on from the pantry. (aka: Wheat Thins and peanut butter)

Stuffing jumbo pasta shells with lasagna ingredients not only cuts down on time but it also helps you with portion control. Sneaking an extra bite of lasagna is easy but grabbing another shell can make you think twice!

Also, I added chicken for the hubs. He’s a meat-a-holic. Not really… he can enjoy a good hearty… key word hearty… vegetarian meal every once in a while but he’d simply rather not. I can’t really blame him but you wouldn’t have to use chicken if you didn’t want to.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Time: 45 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings: 4, 3 shells each

1 chicken boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite sized cubes
15 jumbo pasta shells, in case a few break
1 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/3 c. carrots, sliced thin
1/3 c. frozen corn
1/3 c. frozen bell peppers
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 egg
1 c. spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Peanut Butter Noodles

Peanut butter is creamy, nutty, and full of protein. Pair it with a few veggies and some whole wheat or buckwheat pasta and you’ve got yourself a delicious dish that can be served hot or cold. When I make Peanut Butter Noodles, I typically make double (because we LOVE it!) and serve it hot for dinner and cold for lunch.

This dish is very kid friendly, so grab up the munchkins and get cooking!

     

Peanut Butter Noodles

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

Wheat or buckwheat spaghetti noodles (enough for 2 servings)
1/4 c. all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. curry powder
dash of cayenne
1 tsp. Sriracha (or more if you like it hot)
1/4 c. frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 c. carrots, sliced thin into bite sized pieces

Cook noodles according to packaged directions.  In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, curry, cayenne, and Sriracha. Toss drained noodles, peanut butter mixture, peas, and carrots together.

Yum!

Tips
- Red onion is an optional addition.
- A fast way to thaw your peas is to put them in your colander before you strain your boiled noodles. The boiling water and hot pasta will almost instantly thaw the peas.