Red Pepper Mozzarella Spinach Melts Recipes

ROASTED RED PEPPER PANINI

Steps:

• Process Country Crock® Spread, basil and garlic in food processor or blender until almost smooth.
• Spread 2 slices bread with basil butter. Top with spinach, roasted pepper, mozzarella, and remaining bread slices.
• To cook in panini press: Preheat the press. Add sandwich and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining sandwich.
• To cook in skillet: Melt 1 tablespoon Country Crock® Spread over medium heat in skillet and add sandwiches to skillet. Place a heatproof plate on top of sandwiches and weigh down with heavy heat-proof object. Cook sandwiches 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Turn sandwiches over and weigh down with plate. Cook 3 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Chop red bell peppers in halves and remove their seeds. Place them upside down in an oven-safe tray and bake them for 10 minutes at 375°F. Then turn them and bake them for another 5-10 minutes or until peppers are fork tender.
• In the meantime, chop onion and garlic into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, salt and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Then add ground black pepper and freshly ground nutmeg.
• Add fresh spinach and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is evenly cooked.
• Remove the skillet from the stove and add the ricotta cheese and 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Once the red bell peppers are fork tender (they should be tender but still keeping their shape), remove them from the oven. Fill red bell peppers with the spinach and ricotta mixture and top them with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Place them in the oven for 8-10 minutes for the cheese to melt.
• Serve hot.

SPINACH, RED PEPPER, AND FETA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a small food processor blend together flour, butter, shortening, and a pinch salt until mixture resembles meal. Add water and toss until incorporated, adding additional water if necessary to form a dough. Pat dough onto bottom and one half inch up sides of a 7 1/2-inch tart pan with removable fluted rim or a 9-inch pie plate and bake shell in bottom third of oven until set and pale golden, about 7 minutes.
• While shell is baking, in a large skillet sauté bell pepper in oil over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add spinach and sauté, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and season spinach mixture with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and cream.
• Sprinkle feta over bottom of shell and arrange spinach mixture on top. Pour cream mixture over spinach and bake quiche on a baking sheet in middle of oven 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F. and bake until set, about 10 minutes.

SPINACH AND RED-PEPPER CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in lowest position. Sprinkle cornmeal on a large baking sheet.
• Cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in red peppers, olives, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then cut into quarters. Roll out 1 quarter into an 8-inch square (keep remaining pieces covered) and arrange with a corner nearest you. Put one fourth of filling on lower half, leaving a 1-inch border, and top with 4 pieces of cheese. Fold dough over to enclose filling. Seal edges. Beginning in 1 corner, stretch sealed edge outward, pinching and rolling dough up over edge to resemble a rope, working your way around. Transfer to baking sheet. Make 3 more calzones in same manner. Cut 3 steam vents in top of each and brush with remaining tablespoon oil.
• Bake until golden-brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.