Chicken Stuffed Shells

Every once in a while, you happen upon a recipe that becomes one of your standard go to meals.  You constantly change it or tweak it, reinvent it and improve it, all the while loving it a little more with each incarnation.  For me, that meal is Chicken Stuffed Shells.  I got the original recipe from my sister over a decade ago.  It is a great meal to cook for a larger family, or a pot luck, because it makes a pretty large quantity.  My most recent version is a sneaky way to hide fresh veggies in what would otherwise be a pretty carb heavy meal.

Ingredients

Shells and Stuffing

1 box of large pasta shells

1 box of instant chicken flavor stuffing, prepared (or 3 cups homemade stuffing) 

2-3 large cans of chicken (I tend to use more chicken to reduce carbs and increase protein)

4 cups raw fresh baby spinach, chopped 

1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

Sauce

3 cans cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

milk as needed

Directions

1. Boil entire box of pasta shells according to package directions.  When they are cooked, drain them and separate to insure they do not stick together.  I usually set them out on wax paper.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine stuffing, chicken, chopped spinach, and 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt.  Mix well to insure all ingredients are well combined.  Set aside.

3.  In medium mixing bowl, combine soup, remaining sour cream, and cheddar cheese.  If the sauce seems too thick, thin with milk until you get it to your desired consistency   You do not want it to be runny, but also not so thick that it cannot be easily poured.  

4.  At this point, begin preheating your oven to 350 F.  Take two 9x13 baking dishes (and possibly another 8x8) and spread a small amount of sauce in the bottom of each dish.  This helps prevent the shells from sticking.

5.  Once the dishes are prepared, use a spoon to begin adding the stuffing mixture to the shells.  Keep in mind that how many shells this recipe yields depends on how full you stuff the shells.  If you made extra full shells, it will yield about 24 shells, if you reduced the stuffing it can yield about 36 (hence the possibility of needing 3 pans).  Place the filled shells into the dishes.  

6.  After all the shells are filled and placed in the baking dishes, cover the shells with the sauce mixture.  You want to make sure all the shells are fully covered, so that they do not dry out while baking.

7.  Cover dishes with foil, and bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.

8. Optional: Sprinkle additional cheddar cheese over hot shells and allow it to melt before serving.

There are several alterations you can make to this recipe.  Some people double the stuffing and reduce the chicken.  Sometimes I leave the spinach out.  Sometimes I use all reduced fat dairy products.  You could use wheat stuffing.  You can really  play around with it to suit your needs.  I am sure you could even purchase all gluten free ingredients to make this a gluten free dish.  The point is, customize it in the way that works best for you.  It is a high yield recipe, so it will result in some very tasty leftovers!

Cook's Tip: Typically, you run out of stuffing before you run out of shells, or some shells are torn/broken and not usable for this recipe.  Rather than throw them out, cut them into small pieces and freeze for use in a future soup recipe, such as Pasta Fagioli!