Homemade Shells and Cheese

Who doesn't like mac and cheese? Come on...you know you're the 99%! Who likes it made with processed cheese vs. real cheese? The processed stuff tastes great, but it's not so great for you. Here's my attempt at homemade shells and cheese made with a blend of real cheese. I used a blend of regular shredded hormone-free cheddar and smoked mozzarella. It’s pretty easy to make since you make it on the stove top and there is no baking.

It turned out great! Very creamy and very smokey. My 4 1/2 year old son had never tried mac and cheese until tonight...and he ate it! He didn't inhale it like I did, but then again he's not really a pasta lover.

Because this side dish is so creamy and delicious, it really needs something to enhance the flavor and texture so thinly sliced green onions made the perfect topping. Breadcrumbs would work but I find them to often times be too heavy.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 ounces medium whole wheat shells
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
2 cups organic milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella
sliced green onions

Directions

1 - Cook shells according to package directions.
2 - Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly add the milk and cook while whisking out any lumps and stirring until the mixture becomes somewhat thick. Stir in the cheese until melted. Remove from heat.
3 - Drain shells and toss them to the cheese sauce. Stir to coat. Top with green onions for serving if desired.

(Makes 4 Servings)

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells with Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Oh how I love pumpkin. And cream. And pasta.

I get daily emails from allrecipes.com and about once a week a recipe catches my eye. This recipe had many ingredients that I enjoy. I had this recipe on my dinner calendar last month but I pushed it to this month, thinking it might be more involved than I had the energy for, especially after caring for my infant all day.

I decided to start early on dinner preparations in case something "baby related" interrupted me. I toasted the hazelnuts and boiled the pasta shells in the morning. I sauteed the ingredients in the afternoon. By evening, after my husband was off of work, I had time to stuff the shells while I had my husband stirred the sauce with my preschooler while the baby napped. This meal definitely took more coordination on my part than usual.

The results were outstanding. Let me be clearer. The results were OUTSTANDING! If someone had served me this in a restaurant, I'd go back immediately for more. The filling was savory and sweet, but not too sweet. The hazelnut cream sauce did not overpower the pumpkin filling, but rather complimented it. The nuts softened in the sauce but provided a nice texture to the meal. When I read reviews for the recipe, which is supposed to be made with pasta sheets and made into ravioli instead of shells, many people thought the hazelnuts were a waste of money and time (since they need to be toasted and rubbed). I disagree. They made the dish that much better.

I adapted the recipe based on online comments and what spices I already had on-hand.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 large carrots, cooked and pureed
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (for inside of filling)
  
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• 3 tbs unsalted butter
• 5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 box pasta shells
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)
  
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch white pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells according to instructions.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Toast the hazelnuts in a shallow pan on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until brown and fragrant. When they are cool enough to handle, wrap the nuts tightly in a lint-free towel, and vigorously rub nuts against the towel. Continue rubbing until the nuts are almost blond.
3. Saute the onions, garlic, and spices in butter or margarine until the onions are soft. Stir together with the pureed vegetables. Add cheese, maple syrup, egg, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning. Set the filling aside.
4. Cook the cream, garlic, cayenne, and white pepper over high heat; stir often, and adjust heat to keep the cream from boiling over. When the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add a pinch salt. Adjust seasoning. Remove sauce from heat until you're ready to use it.
5. Stuff the shells with the filling. Cover with sauce and sprinkle the top with half of the hazelnuts. Use all of the hazelnuts if you prefer them softer. I recommend doing this.
   
6. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining toasted hazelnuts, if you didn't use them all already. Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread.