A cure for the case of the Mondays

Well, it's true, I have yet to post anything about cupcakes, although I swear, they are my one and true love when it comes to baking. The thing about cupcakes is that it can be a long, drawn-out process, especially when you are low on time and need specific in...and well let's face it seems like it takes forever to wait for them to cool and then frost ( I always get too excited and want to frost earlier than I should!) But I digress. Today, I had a serious case of the Mondays. What with the 4th of July coming up, half days, and the promise of sunshine and mildly, warm weather in San Francisco, I just couldn't seem to think about anything but baking and cooking! There is nothing like being in the kitchen to calm restlessness and disorder with some chopping, stirring and stuffing. Today I told Monday to get the heck out of my kitchen and to save its mood-killing self for next Monday!  It all started with some left over ground beef from a previous burger binge. Of course, I consulted my fav go-to, Foodgawker, for some ambitious guidance to the perfect post-Monday, post-workout meal. I came back with a savory fare that didn't seem overly-hearty and with the just the right amount of comfort (making my Monday all the more better!) 


Note: The recipe I used below calls for sundried tomatoes; I didn't have these on hand so, I left them out. The shells were divine without them! Since I didn't really follow the recipe to the tee (using the ingredients as base), I've decided to give this dish its own name. Hope I don't run into any copyright infringements...just kidding. (Not really!)


Ground Beef, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Shells (By The Bay)

Naked without the parm,  but looking good before going into the oven.

The final product--a Monday night miracle.

adapted from Cookin' Canuck


Ingredients:

• 8 oz. large pasta shells

Filling:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp of crushed garlic from the jar)
• 1 lb or 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) roughly chopped fresh spinach
• a few heaping teaspoons of low fat ricotta cheese 
• 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
• garlic salt (to taste)
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
• a handful of Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook until just tender. Add a bit of olive oil to the boiling water to prevent the shells from sticking. 


For the filling, heat olive oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for additional 30 seconds.


Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon, until beef is cooked through. 


Transfer ground beef mixture to a large bowl. Stir in spinach and ricotta cheese until combined.

Season with dry chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.


Fill each shell with 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture, or until the shells looks well stuffed.


Prepare a 9- by 13-inch baking pan by spreading even tomato sauce to coat the bottom. Arrange pasta shells, opening-side up, in the pan. Spread additional  cups tomato sauce on top, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.


Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Delicious with a salad, some veggies, or on it's own!