Mexican Stuffed Shells
Has anyone elses Husbands asked for something super carby and super cheesy for dinner? My Husband loves to eat and he adores soul food. My definition of soul food is warm, filling, CARB loaded and delicious so I searched online to find the perfect dish for me to make my sweet Man and I found this.....
Delicious Mexican Stuffed Shells!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 green onions, diced
- ½ each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
- 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don’t drain)
- ¼ - ½ cup chicken stock
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup of picante or pasta sauce
- 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente
Directions:
1. Cook pasta shells until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
2. Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups.
3. To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, and diced peppers in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well.
5. Spread ¾ c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. Reserve the final ¼ cup, for later.
6. Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
7. When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining ¼ cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Needless to say, this dish has been a hit ever since I first made it and I frequently refer to this recipe if I need something quick and easy (I've made 100 of these so I guess that makes me a pro?). Enjoy!
Note: I wish I had the site address that I found this recipe from but I don't! If it's yours, please message me and I will be happy to credit where credit is due.