Giada's Spicy Baked Macaroni

Ingredients
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound assorted mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup Romano, plus 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.

In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Jen's Notes: I made this this afternoon since I had most of the ingredient on hand (except the mushrooms-- I added yellow beans instead). Its very yummy, though not very spicy. I might add more crushed red pepper next time or even chop up some fresh hot pepper. I also used freshed tomatoes since I had those on hand. Very yummy!

Spinach Diamond Puffs

Indredients
1 pkg. (300g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 C. carrots, finely chopped
1 T. onion, finely chopped
1/2 C. mayonnaise, regular
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded (1 C./250 ml)
1 pkg. (411g) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T. water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cover a rectangle stone with parchment paper. Place drained spinach on paper towels and press to remove excess moisture. Chop carrots and onion. Place spinach, carrots, onion, mayonnaise and seasonings in a bowl. Shred cheese into bowl, mix well.

Lightly sprinkle flat side of cutting board with flour. Using floured pizza roller, roll half of pastry into a 12 inch square. (wrap remaining pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.) Cut rolled pastry into sixteen 3-inch squares using Pizza Cutter. (Do not separate squares.)

Using a scoop, place a scant scoop spinach mixture in center of each square. Flatten slightly with back of scoop. Combine egg and water. Brush egg mixture over cut lines in pastry and around outside edge of large square. For each appetizer, bring two opposite corners of each square up over filling, pinch together firmly and twist. Place on stone. Brush appetizers with egg mixture.

Bake 17-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to serving platter. Repeat with remaining pastry and spinach mixture. Serve warm.

Yields 32 appetizers.

Per appetizer: 113 calories; 2 g protein; 9g fat; 7g carbohydrate; 85 mg sodium

Cook's Tip: The spinach mixture can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but assemble and bake the puffs just before serving.

Another excellent Pampered Chef recipe! Enjoy!