Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells (and Cookie Pie!)

Who doesn't love Italian food?  How about Italian food that is quick and easy?  This recipe makes a lot of food and is easy to double, so it's great for a crowd or to have enough for leftovers.  You might even be able to sneak spinach into your kids (no guarantees, though).  Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are like little individual servings of lasagna, or perhaps like manicotti, but easier to prep.  I found the recipe on Skinny Taste (linked here- sorry, I forgot to take a picture).  We've made this dish three times in the past few weeks and for some reason it always turns out a little differently, but still good.  I've always used jarred marinara instead of the meat sauce (this is my favorite), as well as fresh baby spinach instead of frozen.


A simple green salad is my favorite side dish to serve with pasta, so no recipe is needed there (tonight was romaine, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, and cukes).  And then there's the bread.  Oh, the bread.  How can you eat pasta without bread?  If you are going to eat carbs, well by golly, go all out.  Sometimes we like to dip our bread in oil and spices (I highly recommend this one), but it's hard to beat roasted garlic spread over a slice of crusty bread.

Slice the tops off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in parchment paper or foil.

Bake at 400 (or really whatever temp your oven is at for the rest of your meal), for 30-45 minutes or until soft. 

Your house is going to smell amazing!

Pop the cloves out and spread on bread, or eat them straight up if you love garlic as much as I do!

Now, on to dessert.

I love to bake, and I often preach about my love for real butter and real sugar, as long as it's done in moderation.  Now, I still believe in these rules when making a chocolate birthday cake, but for a Monday night (cheese laden) dinner with friends, I'm okay with going the healthier route.  I was hesitant to make a dessert featuring garbanzo beans (buy dry and make your own- recipe here), but this cookie pie got rave reviews.  It didn't hurt that we topped it with oreo cookie ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop (Goody's), which completely negated the healthy ingredients in the cookie.  Oh well. 

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This recipe also happens to be vegan, gluten and dairy free (depending on the chocolate chips you use), so it's great for people with allergies/special diets.  Find the recipe here, and enjoy!