Tag Archives: spinach

Spinach-Turkey Bacon Shells and Cheese

19 Jan

 

The last time I made Broccoli Cheddar Cheese soup, the bag of shredded cheddar cheese had a recipe on the back from KraftFoods.com for Spinach-Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  Since I had spinach from Bountiful Baskets that still needed to get used, I decided this would be the dish to make.  I also had bacon on hand from making the Shredded Brussels Sprouts earlier this week, and Barilla Whole Grain Medium Shells were on sale recently for $1, and with a coupon, it made it $.50 for the box.  This was delicious.  My 2-year-old kept telling me how good it was and thanking me, and my 5-year-old, who was skeptical at first, tried it and liked it.

 

Spinach-Turkey Bacon Shells and Cheese
Serves 6

What you need:

3 cups whole grain medium shells, uncooked
2 cups fresh spinach, slightly chopped
4 slices turkey bacon
2 Tbsp. flour
1-2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, if needed
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook shells as directed on package, adding spinach in to cook for the last minute.  Drain.  Return to pot.
Cook bacon in large skillet. Remove bacon to paper towels; save drippings in pan.  If you don’t have a lot of drippings, since turkey bacon usually doesn’t, melt 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine.  Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly; cook 3 to 5 minutes,  or until thickened.
Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until melted. Chop bacon and add to cheese mixture.
Pour cheese mixture over shells and spinach; mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-1/2 qt casserole.  Top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted.

Tags: , , ,

Spinach Basil Pesto Pizza

17 Jan

 

In the Italian themed veggie pack I got from Bountiful Baskets, I got some fresh herbs, which included basil.  I like pesto, but have never actually made it, so I decided the basil would be made into pesto.  I still have some spinach left from my 1/7 basket, so the Spinach Basil Pesto recipe I came across on allrecipes.com seemed perfect to try.  Since I had plenty of tomatoes to use, I wanted to make a pizza with the pesto as the sauce.  I had sliced olives on hand, and I used chicken from a rotisserie chicken I bought at the store.   I was hoping to also add feta cheese, but it didn’t make it into the fridge after the store, so I used mozzarella.  The crust was from a pouch, since I’m really bad at making breads from scratch.  The results were delicious!  There are a number of other toppings that would go great with this, red onion, yellow onion, green peppers, mushrooms, so I suggest using your favorites!

 

Spinach Basil Pesto Pizza

What you need for the Pesto:

1 1/2 cups spinach leaves
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, optional (I omitted them)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

How to make the Pesto:

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

What you need for Pizza:

Pizza crust, pre-made, from a pouch, or your favorite recipe to make a 12″ pizza
Pizza toppings, such as sliced tomatoes,  cooked chicken, olives, mushrooms, onions, green peppers
Cheese, like crumbled feta, fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella

How to make the Pizza:

Prepare pizza crust.  Spread pesto evenly on crust.  Add the pizza toppings, then the cheese.  Bake according to the directions for your crust, most likely around 425 F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tags: , , , , ,

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

10 Jan

 

Since pie crusts come 2 in a package, I had 1 crust I left from when I made Sweet Potato Pie at Thanksgiving time.  I wanted to come up with a way to use some of the spinach I got in this week’s Bountiful Baskets, so I decided a quiche would be perfect.  I’ve made quiche a lot of different ways, but also wanted to use up some ingredients in my fridge, so I used parts of a few different recipes I’ve used in the past.  This is a great, versatile dish.  If you feel like adding meat, add in some cooked crumbled bacon, or cooked diced ham.  If you would like to make this gluten-free or don’t like pie crust, omit the crust, lightly grease a deep dish pie pan, and pour filling directly into the pan.  The amount of cook time should remain the same, but you may want to check it earlier just in case.

 

Spinach Mushroom Quiche
Serves 6

What you need:

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 cups chopped spinach
4 eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 9 in refrigerated pie crust

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.  Add mushrooms and spinach, cook until mushrooms soften and spinach is wilted.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat eggs.  Stir in cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and spices.  Add the spinach mixture and stir.

Place pie crust in a 9 in deep dish pie pan.  Pour in the filling.  Place in preheated oven and cook for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tags: , ,

Breakfast Omelette Muffins

28 Nov

My friend Mhairi posted a recipe on Facebook she had gotten from MOMables, and I decided I needed to give it a try.  They called them Breakfast Cupcakes, but I think Omelette Muffins is a better description.  It is pretty egg-y, like an omelette, but the Bisquick makes it more like a biscuit or muffin.  You can make up a bunch of these ahead of time, then freeze and reheat when you need them.  Plus, there are a lot of possibilities on what to have in these.  I chose mozzarella, turkey bacon, and spinach, because that’s what I had on hand, but swiss cheese would have been perfect with these too.  Or, cheddar cheese, ham, and broccoli would be a good combination too.  Or pepper jack, sausage, and green pepper and onions.  Green onion would be a tasty addition.  In mine, I added in garlic powder, although next time I think I would use garlic salt, and rosemary.  I think black pepper would be a great addition too.  For the ingredients listed below, I got 18 muffins.

Breakfast Omelette Muffins

What you need:

9 eggs
5 Tbsp milk
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, pepper jack
1/2 cup meat of your choice, diced ham, crumbled bacon, turkey, crumbled sausage, etc.
1/2 cup diced veggies of choice, broccoli, spinach, etc.
3/4 cup Bisquick mix
Optional seasoning ideas, use all or a combination:
– 1/2 tsp garlic salt
– 1/2 tsp rosemary
– 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

How to make it:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Grease a regular sized muffin pan (or use liners).  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, and Bisquick mix.  Then add cheese and toppings and mix well.  Pour into the muffin pan, filling up about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Tags: , , ,

Slow Cooker Spinach, Lentil & Tortellini Soup

22 Nov

 

This is one of my favorite soups to make.  I got the recipe from the Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes, a cookbook I bought when I first got my slow cooker a few years ago.  I was secretly wishing for spinach from Bountiful Baskets, and this week, that wish was fulfilled!  And it’s pretty chilly here today, so perfect weather for eating and making soup.  The original recipe calls for ham and for chicken broth, but I make it without the ham and you can switch to vegetable broth to make this a meatless meal!  I think it tastes great without the ham, but you may choose to add it in.  Mine also looks less soup-like in the picture above because I used a larger family size package of tortellini, because that’s what my girls like the most.

Slow Cooker Spinach, Lentil, and Tortellini Soup

1/2 cup dry lentils
2 cups coarsely shredded carrots (I used the julienne blades on my mandolin slicer)
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 ounces chopped cooked ham or Canadian style bacon, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp snipped fresh basil or 2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1 1/2 Tbsp snipped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 9-oz pkg refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 bunch fresh spinach, slightly torn

1. Rinse lentils and drain. Place lentils in a slow cooker. Add the carrots, onion, ham or bacon (if using), garlic, dried basil and thyme (if using), and pepper. Pour broth and water over all.

2. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 6 1/2 – 7 hours or on high heat setting for 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 hours. If using the low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. Stir in tortellini. Cover and cook 30 minutes more. To serve, stir in spinach and, if using, the fresh basil and thyme.

I also like to put some shredded mozzarella cheese on my serving.

Tags: , , , ,

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

21 Sep

I still had a 1/2 lb of spinach left after making Spanakopita and Spinach Manicotti, so I decided to make another of our favorite spinach dishes, Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip.  It’s really easy to make, and it’s also something I like to make to take to a potluck or party.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 8 oz pkg sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir until well blended and heated through.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish and top with remaining cheeses. Bake in 350 F oven until cheese starts to brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Serve with your favorite veggies or chips.  We had tortillas chips with this batch.

Tags: , , , ,

Spinach Manicotti

15 Sep

I still had some spinach left, and I had intended to make spinach artichoke dip, but used some of the ingredients I had on hand for that to make last night’s Radish Dip.  I had wanted to make Stuffed Shells, but the store only had 1 box of shells that was beat up.  The manicotti was right next to it on the shelf, so I decided to make it inside.  The process and end result is pretty much the same, plus, my family really likes manicotti.  Here is how I made it tonight.

Manicotti

1 box manicotti noodles
2 eggs
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 jar of pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook manicotti according to directions on box.  Drain and cool on a piece of aluminum foil.  Meanwhile, beat eggs in a medium bowl.  Stir in the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, garlic, spinach, basil, and oregano.  Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce into a 13 x 9 baking dish, or enough to make sure to cover the entire bottom of the dish.  Fill manicotti with the mixture and place in the dish.  Pour the remaining sauce over the filled manicotti, then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until sides are bubbling and the cheese is melted.

This didn’t last long in my house tonight!

Tags: , , ,

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

12 Sep

My mom’s side of the family is Greek, and growing up, we lived in the same town as my grandparents.  And no, not next door like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  We did get to see them often, though, and I did get a chance to learn some Greek traditions, attend some services at the Greek Orthodox church, and learn how to cook some traditional Greek dishes.  This also means that most of the dishes I learned how to make, I make from memory or sight, add a handful of this, a little of this, a little of that, until it looks right.  However, I have measured out the way I make spanakopita to my taste, and when I got all the spinach from Bountiful Baskets over the last 2 weeks, I knew I wanted to make this to be able to share how I make it since I get asked a lot.  So, here we go!

Spanakopita

1 roll phyllo dough (You can find this in your grocery’s freezer section with the pies and baked goods)
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Filling for spanakopita:
2 lb fresh spinach, chopped, or 3-10oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 lb feta cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp dried dill weed

How to put it together:

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Combine the ingredients for the filling and set aside.  Brush bottom and sides of 12″ X 18″ jelly roll pan with melted butter.   Lay phyllo dough in bottom of pan, and brush completely with butter. (Note: Depending on the size of your pan and the size of dough you find, you may need multiple pieces of phyllo dough to cover the bottom of the pan) Repeat the process of laying dough and buttering to create 5-6 layers of dough.  Pour filling over phyllo dough and spread evenly.

Spreading the filling on the phyllo dough

Place a layer of phyllo dough over the filling, again, brushing it completely with butter. Repeat the process of laying dough and buttering until you have 3-4 layers.

Score through top layers of the pastry with a sharp knife. I cut mine in straight lines to make squares, then add diagonal cuts to make triangles.  Pour remaining butter over.

Bake for 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown (see picture at top). Remove to rack and cool for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve!

 

You can find the cheese version of this, Tiropita, in this post.

Tags: , , , ,

Newer Entries →