pesto chicken stuffed shells

earlier this year, my younger sister had a bit of a health scare and had to have a major surgery, which landed her in the hospital for about a week. luckily, she is doing great and is super healthy! (not to mention beautiful!) and the best part is that she's in no more pain! (YAY!) but while she was there, my parents got sick of eating hospital food... can't blame them for that... so i made these pesto chicken stuffed shells for dinner and took it to them. my family is comprised of some adventurous eaters and some supremely picky eaters. everyone that ate this loved it... i paired it with some steamed broccoli and dinner was done! check it out...

ingredients:
12-16 jumbo pasta shells
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago for filling
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup alfredo sauce (the creamer you like your pastas, the more alfredo you should use)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced (or cheat, like i did, and use 2 tablespoons of already minced garlic)
a handful or two of italian seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

p.s. i made my own pesto sauce from a seasoning packet, following directions on the back, and it turned out great. i love pesto, but i hadn't ever made it before... i usually buy it prepared, but i really prefer this method. give it a shot. and i had plenty of leftovers to use in pasta later. YUMMO!

i also boiled my own chicken and shredded it, so if you want to speed up the process, you can buy pre-cooked chicken, either shredded or cubed.

onto the recipe!

directions:
1. in a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package until al dente. the pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked.

2. drain the pasta shells and let cool.

3. in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese for the topping). add alfredo sauce as desired until the filling is creamy.

4. fill the shells with the filling, and place each shell in a baking dish.

5. sprinkle the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs over the filled shells.

6. preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

you can make this recipe as a "make ahead meal" by preparing as directed but place the filled shells in a freezer proof oven dish. top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and breadcrumbs, cover, and freeze. when ready to prepare, defrost. then preheat the oven to 350 and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

typing this out made me hungry for these again. the compliments you will get for making these will blow your mind. especially for people who "don't like pesto". this recipe will change their mind!

fin.