Baby Baking Dishes

Last weekend at the grocery store I found tons of different single serve aluminum baking pans. I used the single serve pot pie dishes when I made New Baby Casserole for my friend, Katy. Remember her new little man? Let’s see him again (I just can’t get enough of this tiny guy):

Photo by Snips and Snails. http://www.snipsandsnailsphotography.com/

I also found very small loaf pans, baby loaf pans if you will, that called out to me. I decided I would make Katy some stuffed shells, too.

So, you’re probably asking yourself why so many posts about taking food over to new moms all of a sudden? Well it seems there’s a sudden baby boom in our lives and this is a good way to remember what I need to do when all other babies arrive. Katy is a test case for the months to come.

Also, we have that deep freeze I mentioned in the New Baby Casserole post so I’m gathering ideas of what I can do when our own little bird joins the nest.

So back to those stuffed shells.

Use can use any ole’ recipe – the one on the back of the pasta box is fine or use your own recipe.

First, make the sauce. I used turkey sausage, onion, spinach and jarred tomato and basil pasta sauce (I added a little water, too).

Turkey sausage pasta sauce

Then, stuff the cooked shells with some mixture that you like. I had planned on ricotta and mozerella, but I turned out to be light on the mozerella so I used some parmesan.  I also added salt, pepper and parsley.

Stuff the Shells

Then, place the shells in the mini tins. These tins would accomodate about three shells per tin. Cover the shells with sauce (I also put a little bit of sauce into the bottom of the tins first so my shells wouldn’t stick).

Cover with Sauce

Finally wrap the loaf pans with tin foil on which you write the cooking instructions.

Write the cooking instructions on the tin foil BEFORE you wrap them.

Deliver to the new parents and save some for yourself. Enjoy!