Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Spinach – Warm, Creamy Goodness!!!

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Carrots, creamy, Gnocchi Soup, low-fat, spinach, vegetarian

I just love gnocchi!! They are wonderful, fluffy little pillows of potato-ey goodness! Now you add some veggies and a generous amount of creamy sauce and you have a tasty, comforting soup that will warm your soul this fall and winter! This creamy sauce could get out of control with the fat content, but in an effort to keep this reasonable I used fat free creamer to keep the fat content down. I also used pre-made gnocchi, which made this dish quick and easy to make. 

Leaving out the chicken would easily make this a delicious and still hearty vegetarian meal!

Creamy Gnocchi Soup With Spinach

3 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cooked and diced (I baked it for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees)

4 cups fat free chicken stock (I used my home made stock)

2 cups fat free half-and-half

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1⁄2 carrot, shredded (Use a vegetable peeler or julianne)

1⁄2 onion, diced

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper

16 ounces pre-made potato gnocchi (You can find this in the pasta aisle)

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Saute the onion, garlic, carrot over medium heat until onion is translucent.

Mix cornstarch and 2-3 tbsp of half and half in a small bowl until smooth, set aside. Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme to frying pan and then stir in cornstarch mixture. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Enjoy!!!

Vegetarian Lasagna – Packed With Veggies and Flavor!!!

Tags

Lasagna, low-fat, marinara, mushrooms, pasta, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

Lasagna is one of my all-time favorite foods. After an in-depth discussion with my sister about our lasagna techniques, I had a full blown craving going! Lasagna is a great meal to feed a larger group, so I decided to make it when my older daughter and her husband came over for dinner. My daughter is eating a pescatarian diet (mostly vegetarian, with seafood), so I decided to make a vegetarian lasagna. I used the techniques in my normal lasagna, but I left out the meat and added in layers of various vegetables. This ended up being a delicious version of this meal!!! The flavors were bold and fresh and while it was very satisfying, it was a very low-fat, healthy meal. I’ll definitely be making this version again!!!

I kept this recipe as healthy as possible by making my own marinara. This way I can control exactly what goes into the sauce. Plus, I LOVE the flavor of my home made marinara! You could take this a step further and make a vegan version of this dish. There are tofu ricotta cheeses available and various non-dairy mozzarella cheeses, such as soy, that are also available.

I rounded out this delicious dinner with some fresh baked dill bread. You can get this going in your bread maker 3-4 hours before dinner time. I also made a Garden Salad with Herbed Ranch Dressing. The salad and dressing can also be made up to a day ahead and tossed just prior to serving. Overall, this was a great tasting dinner and is definitely company worthy!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 batch of my marinara recipe or 2 jars of pre-made (If making your own, you can start this well in advance as it is great when slow cooked)

2 Bell peppers, very thinly sliced (I used red and yellow, as I’m not a fan of green)

2 Medium zucchini, very thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer for this)

8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, very finely chopped

1 Medium red onion, diced

4 oz of baby spinach leaves

16 oz Box of whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

24 oz Fat Free Mozzarella cheese, shredded

16 oz container of fat free ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tip: You can boil your lasagna noodles, if you wish. Personally, I never boil my noodles and I don’t buy special no-boil noodles. If find boiled lasagna noodles to be a huge hassle. I just use the regular whole wheat lasagna noodles and I find that if you use plenty of the moist ingredients around the noodles, they cook just fine in the baking process.

Start with getting your marinara made and simmering. If using jarred sauce, you don’t need to simmer it. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and lay out your zucchini and bell pepper slices. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need two. Then lightly spray your veggies with olive oil spray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium high heat sauté onions until beginning to soften, then add mushrooms and continue to cook unto all are soft. Add spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes until cooked.

After zucchini and peppers are done cooking, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Mix ricotta, eggs and parsley in a small bowl.

Lightly spray your lasagna pan with olive oil spray. Add a thin layer of sauce to bottom of pan, enough to coat it well, then put down a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, spread 1/3 of your ricotta mixture, spread all of mushroom/onion mixture, spread 1/3 of mozzarella, layer 1/3 of sauce, more noodles, another 1/3 of your ricotta, spread layer of zucchini, 1/3 of mozzarella, 1/3 of sauce, pasta, last 1/3 of ricotta, layer bell pepper slices, last 1/3 of sauce, last 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese.

Cover lasagna pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Tip: Leftover lasagna freezes great! So save leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner in the future!

Enjoy!

 

Extra Thin and Crispy Goat Cheese Tart with Spinach and Thyme Pesto

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Goat Cheese, Pastry, pesto, spinach, tart, tomatoes, vegetarian

This was originally posted by another blogger, but I’m a sucker for goat cheese, so I wanted to post, so I can try it some time in the future. Yummmm!

A real favourite of mine when it comes to vegetarian meals. This is quite a thrifty little meal from Lorraine Pascale! It always goes so much further than you expect. In fact – I have some packed up for my lunch tomorrow! I would definitely recommend making your own pesto – you can really taste […]
https://teatimegems.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/extra-thin-crispy-goats-cheese-tart-with-spinach-thyme-pesto/

Spinach & Sausage Quiche – A Delicious Dish for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

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Cheese, Cooking, eggs, Food, Quiche, recipe, sausage, spinach

  
Our family loves quiche! If you love eggs, sausage, cheese in a wonderful pie crust, you’ll love this dish. It also sneaks some veggies in! It’s so tasty though that your picky eaters won’t even fuss about the spinach in the dish! It’s fairly easy to make and since the pie shells come in a two pack, I usually go ahead and double the recipe making 2 quiches. These freeze great, so I’ll make two and freeze one for a quick dinner on another night. 

On this particular night, my 17 year old daughter was our chef doing the cooking. She also made my recipe for Hawaiian Sweet Bread to accompany our quiche. 

Quiche is a great dish for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner! On a few occasions, we’ve hosted a brunch for Mother’s Day. This quiche was a perfect dish for such a brunch and was very well received.

In the following recipe, I’ve given some tips on how to reduce the fat and calories. In a previous blog post, I shared a method for cutting additional fat and calories by replacing the pie crust with shredded potatoes.

Spinach and Sausage Quiche

1 frozen deep dish pastry shell

8 oz bulk pork sausage (I use the light Jimmy Dean sausage)

¼ cup green onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

½ (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked, and drained well

½ cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix (I use Stove Top)

1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (6 oz)

3 eggs, slightly beaten (Egg substitute also works well)

1 ½ cups half and half (I use fat free)

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

Paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let frozen pastry shell stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, do not puncture the pastry shell. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, cook sausage, green onions and garlic over medium-high heat until sausage is done, stirring occasionally, breaking sausage into small pieces. Drain sausage mixture. Stir in spinach and stuffing mix. Sprinkle first cheese and then sausage mixture into the pastry shell. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and half and half with a whisk or fork until mixed well but not frothy. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in the pastry shell. Bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 3-5 servings.

Sautéed Spinach with Bacon, Shallots and Mushrooms – Even Picky Eaters Will Like This Veggie!!!

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Bacon, Cooking, Food, healthy, mushroom, recipe, shallots, spinach

  
It’s true!!! Everything is better with Bacon!!! I’m not into the slimy cooked greens, but this fresh sauteed spinach was delicious and the texture was great! The bacon, mushrooms and shallots added some wonderful flavor and the touch of balsamic vinegar didn’t hurt either!

I know you’re thinking that the bacon adds a bunch of fat and kind of ruins the point of eating your veggies, but it really isn’t too bad. This recipe only used 1 1/2 slices of bacon for 4 servings and that was the only added fat. It’s not too bad considering the amount of flavor you get from that little bit of bacon.

You will see that I had a little Gorgonzola cheese sprinkled on mine in the photo. I served this spinach with the Chicken Marsala with Gorgonzola cheese that I blogged about yesterday. I couldn’t resist sprinkling the cheese over everything! These two dishes were great together!

Sauteed Spinach With Bacon, Shallots and Mushrooms

1 1/2 slices of bacon

1 bunch of fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped

4 oz fresh mushrooms sliced

1 shallot, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

In frying pan cook bacon until just crispy, remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Keep your bacon grease in the pan and add your mushrooms and shallots,sauté until tender. Add spinach and saute until softened but not too long! Finally, add basaltic vinegar and stir until all ingredients are well mixed and coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

The Goal is Scrumptious: Zuppa Toscana

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Bacon, Cooking, potatoes, recipe, sausage, soup, spinach, the goal is scrumptious

  

When I saw this post I knew it was something I would have to try. It sounds fabulous and I have been all about the good soups this winter!

Recently we sampled a version of zuppa toscana, a type of Italian cream soup, at a friend’s house.  One of our hosts was the first to taste it.  After one bite he apologized.  “Oh, sorry guys.  It’s a little spicy.” Still crunching away on my salad, my reply was, “No worries!  We like spicy.”  This is true.  My husband, […]

https://quirkyandwonderful.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/the-goal-is-scrumptious-zuppa-toscana/

Meatball and Spinach Baked Ziti

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Cooking, Food, marinara, meatball, pasta, recipes, spinach, ziti

 This was originally shared by another blogger, but it looks delicious! Instead of the jarred marinara, I would use homemade. I posted an easy, low-fat marinara recipe back on 8/11/15.

Ingredients: Cooking spray, for baking dish 2 c. ziti Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 lb. ground round 1/2 small onion, chopped 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 large egg 1 tbsp. canola oil 1/4 c. dry red wine 1 (24 oz.) jar marinara 2 bunches flat-leaf spinach, stems discarded and […]

http://sporkchop.com/2016/02/05/meatball-and-spinach-baked-ziti/

Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti – Ahhhh! Cheesy Pasta Goodness!!!

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#insidekelskitchen, Cooking, Food, manicotti, marinara, mushroom, pasta, recipe, ricotta, spinach, stuffed, Stuffing, vegetarian

  
Why on earth have I never eaten or made manicotti before??? Somehow I made it through 49 years without encountering this delicious food! I was thinking about what to make for dinner the other night. I try and think of what I’ve made the few previous days and make something different. I run through the various meats in my head (Chicken? Beef? Pork?) and I run through flavor profiles (Mexican? Italian? Spicy? Creamy?). So the other day I was stumbling on the meat. Nothing sounded good, so I decided it was time to make a vegetarian entrée. My friend Michael had mentioned manicotti in a Facebook post and I had my inspiration! Manicotti it is!!!

Even though I’d never eaten it before, I had a vision in my mind of what it would be; a nice big pasta tube stuffed with cheesy goodness! I picked up some ready-made Barilla pasta at the store and the recipe on the back of the package actually looked pretty good, so I decided to go with it. It did not disappoint! The ricotta, spinach and mushroom stuffing was creamy and wonderful. OK, I’ll admit it! I did lick the bowl that I mixed the filling in.

I topped my stuffed manicotti with my homemade marinara sauce (See August 11, 2015 blog post for recipe). I don’t mean to brag, but I LOVE my sauce! It’s so delicious!

Since I decided to leave any meat out of this recipe and chose low-fat ricotta, this was a pretty low-fat meal. But don’t let this fool you! This was still a very hearty and satisfying meal and it was easier to make that I expected. I will definitely be making this again in the future!

  
Stuffed Manicotti with Spinach and Mushrooms

1 box manicotti (14 pasta tubes)

1 batch homemade marinara or 1 jar ready-made

1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed

12 oz Ricotta cheese

12 oz mushrooms, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

12 oz fresh spinach

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook manicotti in salted boiling water for 7 minutes, drain and set aside to cool. Spray sauté pan with non-stick spray. Over medium heat sauté garlic until tender, add mushrooms, add salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Steam the spinach and chop well. Mix ricotta, egg, mushrooms, spinach and half the parmesan. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling into the manicotti tubes. In a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish, place ½ the marinara sauce, arrange the manicotti on top and cover with remaining marinara and parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pasta – Super Quick and Super Tasty!!!

Tags

Cooking, Cream Cheese, Easy, Food, pasta, Ravioli, recipe, slow cooker, spinach

  
  

So my evil sister posted this recipe on Facebook. She’s not really evil! She’s actually pretty awesome, but she posts these fattening recipes! She is much better about going to the gym than I!

Anyway, this sounded good, so I thought I would give it a try. It was delicious!!! I forgot it was tortellini, so I went with ravioli. I also didn’t have the Italian style tomatoes, so I added fresh garlic and basil. I have a ton of homemade chicken broth in my freezer, so I decided to use that rather than buy vegetable broth. And as I usually do, I try to use reduced fat or fat free products. My grocery store doesn’t have non-fat cream cheese, so I went with the reduced fat.

I guess I complicated the recipe a bit, but it was still super easy and extremely flavorful! My recipe made aout 6 servings. We ate it with a green salad on the side.

Slow Cooker Pasta

3-8oz containers frozen ravioli or tortellini (I used a combo of chicken ravioli and cheese ravioli) 

1/2 salad size bag of baby spinach, chopped

1 -28 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree

1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained

2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced 

4 large fresh basil leaves diced

3 cups broth, I used homemade chicken broth

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese

Put all ingredients in slow cooker. I made sure there was some of the tomatoes on the bottom as a base before adding the pasta. I did stir during cooking a couple of times. 

Mangia bene!