Recipe Madness! Alli guests posts

Awright guys this is the FINAL WEEKEND Of our move.

it is go time baby!

I'm kinda bummed that sunday dinner for bub and I will probably be left over pizza for the 5th night in a row. Don't get me wrong, I love pizza and all, but I'm pretty sure if you cut me open right now I would bleed marinara sauce.

Can't wait till I'm all settled in so I can make have bub create this lovely dish that Alli from Life on LeRoy has shared with us today! Thank you Alli for guest posting for me while we get all settled in :)

Hi everyone, I'm Alli from the blog Life on LeRoy.

My blog is dedicated to sharing my simple, blessed life, my love for cooking, red wine, family and the little things in life that make it so beautiful.

I've got a supa fun recipe in store for you today!  It's a little time consuming but it's a lot of yummy!

I'll let you in on a little secret, although the measurements for the ingredients are listed below, I rarely (if ever) measure when I'm cooking.  That's just no fun to me!

Shells with Crispy Bacon and Spinach

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) package jumbo shells pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

2 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta

1 cup grated asiago cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup cream

2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I like to prep all my ingredients right away.  I find it easier as I go along, to have them all ready.

For this recipe I minced the garlic and parsley.  I think an important part of cooking is having a great knife to work with.  I spent about $50 on mine and it's worth every penny.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the shells:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.

Your mixture should look something like this:  YUM!

Next, stuff the shells!  You'll want to cook the shells just until they are al-dente (cooked just long enough to still be firm, but not too soft).  That way they are easier to man-handle and stuff.

Now for the sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells.

Please note:  you will want to grab a spoon and drink the sauce, but I would advise against it - your stomach will not like you later!

Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

(Big dork!  I know!)

I hope you enjoyed learning a new recipe!  These shells are delish and are great to have when you're having a large group over because they are so filling!

Thank you so much Leonora for letting me hang out on your blog while you are busy moving!

Hop on over to Life on LeRoy, grab a cup of coffee and get to know me better.  I look forward to it.