Last night's dinner - chickpea stuffed shells, corn off the cob mixed with sauteed onion, butter and zucchini, and a pot of baked beans with sliced cooked brats in it. The beans/brat pot was Son's only request at dinner.
We had a fun dinner too, as Oldest Daughter called and said she had "three hungry teenagers" and stopped in with them. Of course they are her age, but it was fun to have them here for dinner. Then just as they arrived, Hubby pulled in with Youngest Daughter's friend. It was a full house, but lots of laughs, and plenty to go around.
I don't see that I have ever shared this recipe...
... it came from my older sister, who is a vegetarian. We love them, so here you are. I double it for us. Leftovers reheat nicely too. If you are lucky to have leftovers, ha ha!
Chickpea Stuffed Shells
18 uncooked, jumbo pasta shells
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, organic, rinsed and drained
2 egg whites (see notes)
15 oz. container of ricotta cheese (or use homemade)
1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar spaghetti sauce, organic or homemade (see notes)
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package.
Meanwhile, place beans and egg whites in a food processor/blender; cover and process until smooth. Add ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, onion, garlic; cover and process until well blended. Pour 1 1/4 c. sauce into an un-greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Set aside. Drain pasta shells (I rinse mine with cold water so I can handle them). Stuff shells with chickpea mixture, and place in sauce. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes at 350°F for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.
Notes: I don't measure my sauce, because we like extra in it. I have also made this with the entire egg, but you can save your yolks for homemade noodle making, or another recipe too.
Son is back on the road today. It feels too quiet again. When he is home, the TV is playing movies every night, ha ha! My sister-in-law is his co-pilot for the trip, so I feel much better. I know he's an adult, but I'm still a Mom.
Our time with Son was short, but we made the most of it, extended family and friends included.
We found out, while he was in CA, he ran a half marathon and came in 7th!! I am framing this for him. That's pretty impressive.
School starts tomorrow for the younger two, and then next week one leaves for college.
The big barn project was supposed to start yesterday, but they did not show up. That was one of the reasons Hubby and I did not co-pilot Son to his next destination. I had another person stop in yesterday inquiring about it now. It's frustrating to deal with it anymore. We may end up knocking it down ourselves, and cutting the beams for firewood.
Well, I plan to watch the sunrise this morning, and enjoy the quiet time. I have some onions to put up for winter this week. Two things we got from the garden this year - tomatoes and some onions. I am grateful that it too.
Where did the summer go? Hubby better start chopping trees down, or fall will pass us by too.
Comments
Regarding getting your big barn torn down, doesn't the lack of responsibility and follow-through of people drive you crazy these days? You don't know anymore if you can take people at their word. Not good.
Sure is a good thing you had made an ample dinner last night. Now that I'm cooking for just the two of us, most nights if we had that many drop-ins, I'd have to make a big bowl of popcorn and say, "That's it, folks!"