Friday, December 12, 2008

Chicken & Spinach Stuffed Shells

I picked up this recipe from The Sister's Cafe a while ago and finally got around to making it and boy am I glad I did!! These were so good the entire pan was gone in one day! I don't think that has ever happened in my house! This recipe makes two 9x13 pans. I froze one so we could have it made and ready to go after Baby is here so I don't have to cook much. I hope I don't regret this later but I pulled the pan out of the freezer so we can eat more now! One thing I will do differently next time is actually listen to Erin's suggestion in the original recipe and make the filling the day before. I did change a couple of things from the original and those changes are reflected in my recipe below. Next time I will make this without the chicken mostly because I don't like cutting up and cooking chicken, I think doing so just adds more work and it would taste just as perfectly delicious without it. If I do omit the chicken then I'd probably call this Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Shells.

Chicken & Spinach Stuffed Shells

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about one and a half 12-oz boxes)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (like I said above, I plan to omit this next time)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or a 5oz pkg pre-shredded)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 (26oz) jars prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety; I used Bertolli Vidalia Onion & Newman's Own Sockarooni and that was a great combonation)

1. Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
4. Spoon into shells. Spread half of a jar of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce.
5. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes.
6. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

1 comment:

  1. I made this recipe when my family came up last month and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it! Every time I make it, I leave the chicken out. Anyways, thanks for the recipe!

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