Paneer Masala Curry or Gravy

The Indian grocer near our home sells hot meals from a small counter at the back of the store. The menu is based on the whim of the cook and each day there are 3 different curries available. Last week we bought a paneer curry and the cook told us it was a tomato gravy thickened with flour. We put it over our spicy oven roasted potatoes and wow! Paneer is better than cheese curds. I have been buying jars of butter chicken sauce or curry sauce at the grocery store but they are relatively expensive and higher in fat and sodium than our usual meals. Today I experimented with a recipe found on Spice Up the Curry. Yum! There will be no need to go to the store to buy a jar of curry sauce or "gravy" in the future. The sauce could be used with other vegetables, lentils or meat.


Sauté in 1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee:

2 coarsely chopped onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 pods cardamom, husks removed
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
1 inch fresh turmeric, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, with seeds if you want heat
1/2 tsp salt

When the onions are soft and starting to brown, add 4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped (3 cups)

Simmer until vegetables are cooked.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and blend on high until puréed. Add 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of flour to the mixture while the blender is on low.

Transfer the blended vegetables back to the pan. Add 300-400 grams of diced paneer cheese, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 2-4 tablespoons of 10% cream. Stir until combined and adjust seasonings to taste.

Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, hot chili powder and black pepper if desired.

Heat on low but do not allow the curry to boil. Serve over potatoes, vegetables, rice or with naan bread. Like all curries, the flavour improves with time and leftovers are delicious.

(Vegans could use tofu cubes and skip or substitute the dairy ingredients)

Curried Peas and Tofu with Mushrooms

We have tried a number of salads and entrées from Farm Boy's take out selection. Their pea and tofu curry is delicious and I have recreated it at home. Served over rice, it is a fast and easy supper.
The ingredient list and proportions are approximate. I buy small cubed packages of extra firm tofu as the rectangular blocks are too large for our family. Use 1/2 of a larger rectangular block of tofu.


Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp olive oil or veggie broth
2 cooking onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cups frozen peas
6-8 oz extra firm tofu diced in small cubes
1/2 tin coconut milk (200 ml or 3/4 c)


1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste


Heat oil in a wok or 2 litre pot and cook onions and garlic until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and cubed tofu along with the spices. Cook, stirring often until mushrooms are done and spices are well mixed. Add frozen peas and coconut milk. Simmer until peas are thawed. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Like any curry dish, this is even better the next day

Serve over brown or white rice

Lentil Tourtière

Tourtière is a traditional savoury Christmas pie. There are many variations and the meat version we use is found here. I made this vegetarian pie today and it turned out very well. It was similar in taste and texture to the vegetable samosas we buy at the local Indian market.

Served with chutney, pickled beets and stir fried vegetables

1 double pie crust

4 cups cooked brown lentils
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 chopped onion (cooked)

1-2 cloves of garlic (cooked)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. cumin

other seasonings to taste- sage, thyme, ginger, dash of turmeric

Salt,  pepper

Cook lentils until soft or used canned lentils. Dice the onion and garlic and cook until softened in a little oil.

Boil 1-2 large potatoes in water until soft.

Mash lentils and potatoes together leaving some chunky pieces. Add onions and seasonings. Adjust spices to your preference. We like lots of spice in our food. I added a little more potato to make the ingredients stick together well.

Roll out pastry. Line the bottom of a 9" pie plate with pastry. Add filling and cover the top with pastry.

Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and cook for another 30-40 minutes until crust is nicely browned. 

Vegetarian Cassoulet

This is what is left of the cassoulet we had for Thanksgiving dinner today. I combined ideas from two different recipes and added different seasoning. It is an ideal vegetarian dish for a special occasion.

Ahead of time...

Cook white beans (navy, kidney etc). You will need 4 cups cooked beans or the equivalent amount of canned beans (2 cans)

I used a wok with a lid for this part of the recipe...

Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add

• 2 stalks of celery cut in half and sliced 
• 1 large diced onion

Cook until starting to soften and add

• 2-3 cloves of crushed or finely diced garlic
• 1 large potato diced in 1 cm squares
• 1 large carrot diced like the potato
• 3 diced roma tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• herbes de provence*

We were given several pouches of savoury herb rub with our turkey and I added one to the cassoulet. It was perfect. Herbes de provence include a mixture of marjoram, sage, thyme, savory, basil, rosemary and fennel seeds. Add a tablespoon of the herb mixture to the broth and vegetables.

Add 

• 4 cups cooked white beans

Simmer the vegetable-bean mixture until the carrots are tender and some of the liquid has cooked down. You can mash the beans and vegetables a little to thicken the stew.

Topping...

Take 3-4 thick slices of crusty bread (like a baguette) and blend them to make 2-3 cups of coarse bread crumbs. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, some salt and pepper and 2-3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese to the crumbs. You can also add some parsley and garlic of you want (I didn't this time). Spread the crumb mixture thinly in a 9x13 pan and lightly toast it in the oven for a few minutes. 

Add the vegetable mixture to a casserole and top with the crumbs. 

Lentil Chili Patties

This recipe uses the same method as chickpea falafel but uses red lentils instead. Red lentils require a shorter soaking time and blend up better in the food processor making these easy and fast to make. We make the patties about 5 cm big and serve them in mini burger buns. They can also be added to a salad, put in a pita or eaten in hand with a dip.

Method:

Soak 1 cup uncooked red lentils in water 4-8 hours. Cover the lentils with 1 to 2 inches of water.

Rinse and drain the soaked lentils in a fine sieve.

Combine:

1 cut up onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cumin seeds or powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or 2 red birds eye fresh hot chilis

Chop in food processor until onion is in small pieces.
Add the soaked lentils and process until mixture is smooth. You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice

Drop by heaping tablespoons on a heated, lightly oiled frying pan. Flip when they are nicely browned. It takes 3-5 minutes to cook the patties. Makes 16-18 patties.

Tortilla Bean Lasagna

We can now buy corn tortillas at our local grocery store. They have a three month "best before date" and are like cardboard compared to fresh tortillas in Mexico. They are inexpensive though and perfect for this main course meal. I cooked the small red beans today in a crockpot before I went to work but canned beans can be used. This recipe is adapted from several I read online.

Saute in a little olive oil until softened:

2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
2 sweet peppers, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb chopped fresh spinach

Add:

28 oz bottle of strained tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups small cooked beans such as black beans or red beans

Warm 12-15 corn tortillas in the microwave oven and cut them in half.
Spread some of the bean mixture thinly on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Cover with corn tortillas halves placing the cut edge along the edge of the pan. I used 5-6 tortillas for each layer.

Add a layer of bean mixture on top and grate some mild cheese over the beans (optional)

Add another layer of tortillas and then another layer of beans and cheese.

I could have stopped here but I had so many tortillas I finished with another layer of tortillas and topped that lightly with grated cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Cut in squares and serve with sour cream and a salad.

Burrito Bowls

I travelled through the Dallas Fort Worth Airport a few weeks ago and had time to eat a hot meal. I chose the 360° Gourmet World Grill and ordered a vegetarian burrito bowl. It was so tasty that I made sure I had another on my return trip to Canada. I made a similar dish tonight and it was versatile, fast and filling. Use a bowl or plate and layer:

Brown rice
Black beans
Meat if desired (I added pork for the meat eater in the family)
Roasted vegetables (I made onion, mushroom, zucchini, peppers and sweet potato)

Then add toppings of your choice such as:

Guacamole
Salsa
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Cilantro and/or shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes, red onion

You can serve it with taco chips, tortillas or tostados but it is filling enough without any extras.

Turkey Meatballs

I made these for my husband and he raved about them. I made a double recipe and froze them in single serve packages so he can make a quick meal when I am away.

1 pound ground turkey
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 c onion, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Mix together and form into balls.

You can brown them in a pan and then bake them at 350 F for 15 minutes.
You can cook them in the pan completely or in boiling stock.
I made them into 1 tbsp sized balls and baked them at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Our dog watches the oven while the meatballs bake

Shirley K's Salmon Quiche

My sister-in-law made this for supper on Christmas Eve and everyone enjoyed it.

1-7 3/4 can red salmon drained and flaked
1 tbsp flour
1- 9 inch unbaked pie shell
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 beaten eggs
1 large can undiluted 2% evaporated milk
2 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Toss salmon with flour and pack into the bottom of the pie shell. Cover with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk and onion. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 375° F for 30-40 minutes or until set. Let it stand 5 minutes before serving.

Falafel

This was my second attempt at making falafel. I tried a baked version but they taste much better when pan fried. Deep fried may be even tastier, but this lower fat version is good. It takes minimal time in the kitchen to make falafel, but there are several hours between steps and the process cannot be rushed. Makes about 25-30 small falafel patties.

Step 1:

Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. It is fine if you soak them longer (24 hours)

Step 2:

Drain chickpeas and add to a food processor with

1 medium onion cut in chunks
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or increase cilantro instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
hot pepper flakes or cayenne if desired
2 tbsp flour if needed to bind ingredients together (I never add flour)

Process ingredients until almost smooth. (2-3 minutes) You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

Step 3:

Cover and refrigerate in a bowl for several hours or for up to a day.

Step 4:

Add oil to the bottom of a heavy frying pan. I used 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Use 1 tablespoons of above mixture to make each falafel patty. I flattened them for pan frying but they could be shaped in the traditional round size if you deep fry them. Heat pan until hot and cook falafel until browned and crisp, turning once.

Serve in a pita with cucumber, tomato and sauce or with a salad and dressing. Tahini sauce is a traditional choice but tzatziki sauce is also tasty.

Tahini sauce:

Blend in food processor or blender-

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 3 gloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• hot water to get smooth consistency

Bi-Bim-Bap: Vegetarian version

The Becka had Bi-Bim-Bap at an Asian restaurant in Toronto and raved about this "hot pot". It is made with meat, vegetables, rice and eggs and a spicy sauce is served on the side. There are many versions on the internet including several vegetarian options. I used the vegetables on hand in the fridge but other combinations would work just as well. I liked the look of this recipe on the blog Weird Combinations and used their method to make the one pictured above.

Step 1: Prepare 3 cups cooked rice. I used quick cooking brown rice.

Step 2: Cube a package of extra firm tofu and brown it in sesame oil in a frying pan. I sprinkled the tofu with some sesame seeds

Step 2: Cut up 8-10 cups of vegetables. I used carrots, broccoli, sweet peppers, a poblano pepper, garlic and red onion. Mushrooms and bean sprouts are commonly used as well as other Chinese greens.

Step 3: Steam vegetables until tender crisp and set aside

Step 4: Heat some sesame oil or oil of choice in a large wok or pot. Add the cooked rice and spread it evenly on the bottom and sides of the wok. You want to brown the rice until it is a little crispy. After five or ten minutes add the tofu and vegetable in a nice design on top of the rice.

Step 5: Break 4 eggs on top of the vegetables, put a lid on the dish and cook until eggs are set.

Serve with a spicy sauce. We used peanut sauce made with peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sirachi sauce. You can find other sauce options online.

White Chili

I cook dried beans in a small crockpot and do not bother to pre-soak them. After rinsing and sorting the beans, I cover them with boiling water, salt, peppers or onions (optional, depending on their intended use) and then put the crock pot on high until the beans are soft. Black beans, peruano beans, red beans and white kidney beans cook the fastest of the legumes I have tried. Today I cooked a pot of white kidney beans for Pasta e Fagioli soup. After mentioning this to my daughter on Skype, she suggested I try making white chili, a dish I have never heard of before. I had cooked chicken on hand and the chili came together quickly. A vegetarian version is included. Adjust the seasonings and hot peppers to your taste.

1 tbsp oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2-4 finely chopped jalapeno peppers, seeds removed (could use poblano peppers instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 -1 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Heat oil in large pan. Add onion, peppers and spices and cook until softened.

Add:

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked white kidney beans
2 cups chopped chicken breast (can use ground turkey or chicken instead) OR
2 cups chopped mushrooms or vegetarian "chicken breast"

Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened. I added 1/2 cup mashed white beans to thicken it faster.

Add 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro and serve with salsa verde and grated cheese.

I made burritos with the chili using 10" whole wheat wraps. It can also be served with tostadas or tortilla chips

Fish Stew

We bought fresh Iceland char tails at the local fishmonger and I cooked them in this tasty sauce. Any fish would work and the spices and ingredients could be easily changed according to your taste.

In a large pan or wok cook in 1 tbsp oil until soft

2 large onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 portabello mushroom, diced

Add

1- 28 oz tin tomatoes ( I used herbed, diced tomatoes and altered the salt and spices accordingly)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano

(I added some left over green salsa that needed to be used up as well)

Add 1-1/2 lbs of fish and simmer until fish flakes easily. Then add
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Serve as is or over rice, noodles, polenta, with crusty bread, tortillas or beans.

Serves 6

Paneer Curry

I am sure there is an official name for this curry, but as I am not an expert on Indian cuisine I will not try to guess what that might be. What is important is that this dish is warming and tasty and the meat-lover in the family found it very satifying too.

Heat 1 tbsp oil on a wok or large pot and add

375 g paneer diced in 3/4 inch cubes.

Brown paneer on all sides, remove from heat and place in a dish. Add to the same pot-

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp mustard seed
1 diced cooking onion (alternately, you can blend the raw onion with the tomatoes, garlic and ginger)

Heat oil, add seeds and onion and cook until fragrant and soft. In the meantime, combine in blender and puree

4-5 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger root

Add tomato mixture to pot along with 

1 cup vegetable broth or less depending on how juicy the tomatoes are. (You do not want the sauce too runny)

Add

 2-1/2 cups defrosted frozen peas

Add the browned paneer and the following spices

2 tsp garam masala
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric

Simmer to blend flavours.

Serve on rice or with naan bread. Serves 6. Tastes even better the next day if you have leftovers.

Burritos

Stephanie made burritos for our bus trip and for my plane ride back to Canada. She wrapped them in foil when they were hot and they stayed warm for a few hours. Burritos are rolled flour tortillas with a warm filling. They can be served for a meal, packed for a lunch, or frozen and quickly reheated in the future. We had them for supper tonight with a salad, guacamole and salsa.

2 cups cooked brown rice
3 cups cooked black beans
2 roasted poblano chilies finely chopped
2 roasted red peppers finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove crushed garlic
salt to taste

Grated cheese (optional)
Strips of cooked chicken or beef (optional)

12- 8 inch whole wheat tortillas (I buy this size at Costco. You can use 6 or 10 inch tortillas)

Method:

Mix first 9 ingredients together
Warm tortillas in microwave or on a skillet
Place 1/3-1/2 cup filling in tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and lay meat on top if using
Roll tortilla up into a cylinder and place in an oven proof dish, seam side down

Continue until all tortillas are filled.
Cover dish and heat burritos in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. (or warm individually in microwave)
Serve hot with garnishes as desired (salsa, sour cream, guacamole)

Burritos can be wrapped individually for bag lunches.

Variations:
The internet is full of burrito recipes for meat lovers and vegetarians. Breakfast burritos with eggs are also filling and easy to make.
I also cook onion, sweet and jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, spinach and seasoning until soft in a skillet. Add 2 ounces of cream cheese to the vegetables, heating until the mixture is creamy. Put a thin layer of refried beans on a tortilla, then a layer of vegetables and grated cheese if desired. Roll and heat as above.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

For years I have made scalloped potatoes by layering sliced potato and onion in a casserole dish and dumping a can of cream of mushroom soup on the top. The result can be gummy and grey depending on the type of potatoes used. I wanted to get away from a milky sauce over the potatoes and experimented with this method. It was very well received by our family!

Slice 3-4 lbs of potatoes in a food processor. (I used new red potatoes and did not peel them.)

Parboil the slices in boiling salted water for 8 minutes (this step could be omitted if you bake the potatoes a little longer)

Butter a 9x13 pan

Put 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom and sprinkle with 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese, 2 oz of cubed cream cheese, 1 tbsp of flour, salt, pepper to taste.

Add 1/3 of the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese, 2 oz of cubed cream cheese, 1 tbsp of flour, salt, pepper as above. I added 4 oz of lightly cooked sliced mushrooms on the layer too.

Top with remaining potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Add 8-12 oz milk.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover lightly with foil for the first 1/2 hour and then let the top brown for the last 15 minutes.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

I saw this recipe on Phoo-d and we had it for supper tonight. We have made tacos with veggie ground round in the past but it is expensive and too salty for my liking. This lentil version tastes better. You can follow the link to the recipe I used but it is copied here as links are prone to going dead.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Diced Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Poblano Peppers, diced (or peppers of choice)
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder (I used regular chili powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
• 4 cups Cooked Lentils (2 tins, drained and rinsed)
• 1/3 cup or more* Vegetable Stock (Low Sodium)
• 1 small tin Tomato Paste (4-6 oz)
• 1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil or cook onions in vegetable broth

Cooking Directions

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, and peppers and saute until soft. 

When the vegetables are soft add the black pepper, salt, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander in and stir for a minute. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, tomato paste, and hot sauce to the skillet. Stir until well combined, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the lentils are warmed through and most of the vegetable stock has evaporated, about 4 minutes. If the mixture begins to look dry add more vegetable stock*. 

 

Serve in a corn tortilla or tostada with traditional taco toppings. Serves 4.

Rice and Bean Casserole

I modified this Brown Rice and Black Bean Casserole from allrecipes.com. By doubling the ingredients, I made 2 casseroles, one with chicken and one vegetarian. They went together quickly and I set the oven on timer so we had a yummy hot meal when we came home from church.  You need 1-1/2 cups of rice and about 2 cups diced chicken (or turkey) for a single recipe. If you don't have any leftovers, start cooking the rice and chicken before you cut up the vegetables. I used 1 tin of black beans and 1 tin of white kidney beans for a double recipe and the combination was very good.

• 1/2 cup converted rice
• 1 cup vegetable broth or salted water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (add seeds if you like heat)
• 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• (1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained)- I used a fresh jalapeno instead
• 1/2 cup chopped or shredded carrots
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned.
3. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, beans, chiles, carrots, and 1/2 the Swiss cheese. Add chicken if not making a meatless dish. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.You can add some crushed tortilla chips if you want. I also added fresh cilantro.
4. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Spicy Rice and Beans

I cooked a pound of black beans in the crock pot overnight and had enough to make this recipe and a double batch of Black Bean Brownies.

Heat a little oil in a wok or large pan and cook until softened:

1 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed with a pestle
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded or not depending on your heat preference
1 diced red pepper
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Add 1-1/2 cups of water and 3/4 cup converted rice and cook 20 minutes until rice is done.

Add 3 cups of cooked black beans and heat through before serving.

I served the rice and beans in green pepper shells. Serves 4 or more depending on whether you use it as a main dish or a side dish. It tastes even better the next day.

Variations: Feel free to add onions or other vegetables, a dash of cayenne pepper or seasonings of your choice. Garnish with cilantro.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made these shells for a buffet meal during the Christmas season but did not post the recipe at that time. We had them for dinner again tonight and I took note of the ingredients.

1 pound (475g) container ricotta cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano, basil or herbs of choice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients together and set aside

Prepare 8 ounces (250g) large pasta shells according to  package directions. You can also use manicotti or other large tube pasta.

Fill cooked pasta with filling and place in a 9x13 pan. Cover pasta with a pasta sauce of your choice. I have noticed that jars of pasta sauce are getting smaller and I used 1-1/2 jars (650 ml jars) for this recipe quantity. Bake covered at 350F for 30-40 minutes until heated through.