The afternoon I was not in the mood for cooking. I decided to make a frozen meal for lunch. I made a package of Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Cheese Cannelloni.

The package describes the entrée as cheese cannelloni with 6 cheeses (the cheeses are ricotta, cottage, part skim mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, and boliviano) and a delicate tomato sauce. It also says that there are no preservatives in the food.

Here are my thoughts on this pasta.

The directions on the package state to microwave the cannelloni for 3-5 minutes. I cooked my cannelloni for 4 minutes in the microwave and that seemed to be the perfect amount of time for it. I was impressed with the relatively quick cooking time.

Taste wise the cannelloni is very yummy. The cheeses blended together create a delightful flavor. The tomato sauce is also very good. It contains real pieces tomatoes and onion.

My only criticism of this cannelloni is that there is way too much sauce for the amount of pasta. My suggestion to Stouffer’s would be to just use less sauce (it would be just as good with less) or add one more cannelloni in the package (there seems to be room) and increase the price if you have to. I know I would still buy this frozen meal even if it was more expensive.

Heath wise this entrée scores well in my books. In the tray (pasta and sauce) there are 240 calories (that is a pretty nice number). There are also 5g fat (8% of your daily intake), 15 mg cholesterol (not so good, but you can’t win everything), 650 mg sodium (27% of your daily intake), and 25% of your daily intake of calcium! The amount of calcium in the meal alone has me sold on it.

Stouffer’s Cheese Cannelloni is a tasty quick meal idea. It is filling enough for a meal, and fairly low in calories. It is also high in calcium.

I would recommend this frozen entrée to all pasta lovers who need a quick meal.

The recipe intrigued me so I gave it a try. This was my first time making this type of pasta, and I must say, I love it! I will be making this recipe again. It was also a big hit with my mom. Enjoy!

Note: I did add a few things to the original recipe. This is the original recipe with my additions.

Tagliatelle with Green Sauce

10 oz baby spinach

3 oz watercress (remove thick stems)

1 cup frozen peas

1 pound fresh tagliatelle

3 tsp corn starch

1 cup no fat sour cream

4 tbsp dry flaked parsley

1 tbsp basil

Salt

Pepper

A few stalks of green onion minced

A small amount of minced chives

¼ cup water

A few shakes of red pepper flakes

A few shakes of garlic powder

Rinse the first two ingredients and place in a pot with only the water that remains on the leaves. Cover and cook on medium heat until the vegetables wilt (3-5 minutes). Add the peas and cook through. Drain the greens and save the liquid for later. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta in it according to package directions (about 8 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached). Drain, set aside covered. In the pot where the vegetables had been cooking blend the sour cream and corn starch into a paste. Add the ¼ cup water. Add the basil, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir on medium heat until bubbles start to form. Then add the greens, including the green onion and chives (as well as the spinach watercress mixture). Heat the sauce through. Drizzle all of the sauce over the pasta. Mix well.

I severed this with baked bbq chicken and it was lovely, with garlic bread on the side, and herb dip and vegetables for a few added vitamins.

Below is an image of the dinner (my dad’s plate). J

This afternoon I was in the mood for cooking. I decided to make something that I had not made before; meatballs. I found a recipe in a Company’s Coming Casseroles cook book by Jean Pare page 75. I modified the recipe greatly. Here is my version.

Meat Balls

1 lb lean ground beef

1-11/2 cubes of cheese bread (any bread will do)

¼ cup water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Tomato soup 10 oz

Horseradish 1 tsp

Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp

1 egg

1 stalk green onion cut into small pieces

¼ cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl combine the beef bread cubes, water, onion, salt, pepper, and eggs. Knead until well mixed. Make balls and place in a heated frying pan. Brown. Place in a casserole dish.

In a bowl combine the tomato soup, horseradish, worse shire sauce and ¼ cup of water. Mix well. Place over the meatballs. Bake for about 35 minutes.

I decided to serve the meatballs with spaghetti and garlic bread.

Here is my own spaghetti sauce recipe.

Spaghetti Sauce

½ lbs lean ground beef

1 medium sized onion

1 medium sized tomato

1 red pepper

1 stalk of celery

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Several shakes of salt

Several shakes of pepper

A few shakes of: garlic powder

A few shakes of: basil

A few shakes of: parsley

A few shakes of: red pepper flakes

A few shakes of oregano

Your favorite spaghetti sauce ( I use Classico Vodka Pasta Sauce) 700 ml

In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef. Add the onion. Add all the herbs and spices. While these are cooking prepare the vegetables (chop to desired size). Gradually add to your frying pan. Let the vegetables cook as long as possible 10 minutes min, 15-20 minutes preferred. Add your favorite spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil. Boil for several minutes. Simmer (if needed).

Serve with your favorite spaghetti noodles.

Simple Garlic Bread

Cheese bread

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil Margarine

Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place desired amount of cheese bread on a cookie sheet. Spread desired amount of margarine over the bread. Sprinkle garlic powder over. Place a small-scant amount of cheddar cheese on top of each piece of bread. Bake in the over for about 6 minutes.

Below are a few images of the dinner.

Enjoy.