Cannelloni with Tomato Eggplant Sauce

Jud didn't complain when I made this dish.  Of course, I didn't tell him it didn't have meat. He ate 5 of them for lunch and didn't make a comment. I didn't ask if he liked it, but he obviously did. There is enough left to have it for lunch another day this week. I did not use the crock pot.  I pre-cooked the shells and then stuffed them with the filling, poured the sauce over the shells, topped with Parmesan cheese, and baked  at 350 degrees until warmed through.



Ingredients for the Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled, cubed, sprinkled with salt, sweated and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups tomato sauce I used marinara sauce
Ingredients for the Filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 oven-ready canelloni shells

Directions for Sauce:
In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, in batches, and cook until it begins to brown. Return all eggplant to pan. Add garlic and black pepper and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, stir well and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Directions for Filling:
In a bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, nutmeg, egg, salt, and pepper. Using your fingers, fill pasta shells with cheese mixture and place filled shells side by side in a (4 to 5 quart) slow cooker stoneware, then on top of each other when bottom layer is complete. Pour sauce over shells. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until hot and bubbly.

Fettuccine Bolognese

I liked this dish just o.k.  Not sure I will make it again unless I just happen to have all the ingredients in the refrigerator and need a quick meal.



Ingredients:
3/4 of a 12oz. box of whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
8oz white mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 T)
1 pound lean or extra-lean (90% lean or higher) ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
Two 14.5 ounce cans no-salt added diced tomatoes with their juices
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4  fat-free evaporated milk or regular whole milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions.  In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook stirring a few times, until softened (about 5 min.).  Add the mushrooms and cook until the water they release has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Stir a few times. Add the garlic, ground beef, and thyme. Cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and broth and cook until the sauce is thickened, about another 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. When the pasta is done, drain it, put it back in the pasta pot, add the sauce and stir. Serve on dinner plates and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Vegetable Quesadillas

This is a nice lunch option. I'm not sure how much Jud liked them w/o meat, but I thought they were great.You could certainly substitute any vegetables that you had on hand and needed to use.  I threw in some spinach in the last 30 seconds because I had it and wanted to put as many vegetables as possible.  I also used swiss cheese slices instead of the Jack cheese because I had it.  This picture was taken before I put the top on and flipped it to melt the cheese.

Printable Version:

https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/vegetable-quesadillas-1

Ingredients:

2 cups yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, sliced

1 cup green and red bell pepper slices

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

2 cups reduced-fat colby Jack cheese shreds

4 whole wheat tortillas

Salsa, for garnish

Directions:

1. Saute' squash, mushrooms, onion and peppers with seasonings in a large skillet, sprayed throughly with cooking spray, until vegetables are crisp-tender; remove from skillet.

2. Place 1/2 cup cheese on 1/2 of each tortilla; top evenly with vegetable mixture and another 1/4 cup cheese. Fold tortilla over filling. Repeat with each tortilla. I used 2 whole tortillas and then cut them in quaerters when it was done.

3. Wipe skillet clean, re-spray with cooking spray, cook quesadillas over medium heat 3-5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve immediately with your favorite salsa.