Entries RSS Comments RSS

Frugal Fridays–Feeding My Family for Fifteen (or Less!)

Looks like Crystal is still on her break, but I need to keep posting to make this a habit! 

 

Last night we had a wonderfully yummy dish Susannah made called Over-Stuffed Shells from Gooseberry Patch’s Flavors of Fall cookbook.  The cost will seem a bit higher, however–it made 1- 9X13 dish plus a smaller 8X10 dish, and just from the 9X13 we got probably 12-14 servings!   If we hadn’t forgotten and left the smaller dish in the oven to keep warm and not found it until this morning, we could have had at least another 8 servings from it!  

 

Over-Stuffed Shells

 

10 oz.  pkg. frozen spinach (we had some chard in the freezer, so she used that–no taste difference!)

2c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1c. cooked ham, diced

2c. chicken, cooked and shredded

15 oz. container ricotta cheese (we used cottage cheese)

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. fresh parsley, minced (we used less of the dried)

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

28 oz. jar Alfredo sauce, divided (made her own, recipe following)

12 oz. pkg. jumbo shell pasta, cooked

Can garnish with parsley and chopped tomato

 

Mix spinach, 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, ham, chicken, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and onion powders together; set aside.  Spread 2 cups Alfredo sauce into the bottom of an ungreased 13X9 baking pan and one cup in an ungreased 8X8 baking pan (we used the 8X10).  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into each pasta shell; arrange shells in a single layer on top of Alfredo sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until sauce starts to bubble; sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes or untl cheese melts; garnish with parsley and tomatoe.  Serves 12.  (PLUS!)

 

Alfredo Sauce

 

This is double the original recipe to make enough for the above dish.

 

1/2 c. butter

2 c. heavy cream

2 clove garlic crushed (we used minced garlic–about 1/8 tsp. per clove)

3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (well, that would be nice, but we used the store-bought stuff in the pasta aisle!)

1/2 c chopped fresh parsley (again, we used less of the dried)

 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through.  Stir in parsley and serve.

 

With this meal, she made Parmesan Toast, which is toasted bread spread with butter and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top.   Keep warm in the oven.   She used homemade bread.

 

We also had a salad with this.   We make a big salad that usually lasts 2 suppers and maybe 2 lunches depending on how "piggy" we get with it!  

 

She said the total cost of the Shells and bread alone was $12.50, but that didn’t include a cost for the chicken since we grow our own, I’ll bump it up to $15.    So that did not include the salad, BUT it also "would have" fed us (had we not overlooked the second pan!) for a hearty supper and a light lunch.  Not bad, really!

 

So even with the salad, I say this is within the limits!   And you get to fight over who can have the rest for lunch the next day!  (Don’t forget to check the oven before going to bed just in case someone left it in there…it makes you want to cry to have to throw out that yummy food!    )

 

I’ve asked my oldest to figure out how much one of her breakfasts are!    So maybe later or next week I can add a frugal breakfast idea for a big family!  

 

Please share any yummy ideas you have, too–leave a comment and/or a link!   (Mr. Linky was a bear to get up last time, so I’ll just go by comments this time!)

 

Enjoy!  

 

~ ..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
 
P.S.  Kelly over at Generation Cedar is selling her Financial Freedom book today for only $1!   Head over there and check it out!
"Home and family seemed by providence
to be my special field of duty."
                                     ~America Holton Ford, 1889~

One Response to “Frugal Fridays–Feeding My Family for Fifteen (or Less!)”

  1. chezdak says:

    Thanks for commenting on my blog.

    Chezdak

Leave a Reply