Chicken Stuffed Shells

Mmm MMM good! These were perfectly creamy, flavorful, and of course, cheesy! I love pasta. I love pasta way too much...and these hit the spot. There was just enough chicken in the shells to fake me out and make me feel like MAYBE I was eating something healthy! I decided to put a pink sauce on top rather than the traditional red sauce, and what a good decision that was! Give these a shot...they are bomb.

Chicken Stuffed Shells
Printable Version

Shells
12 jumbo uncooked pasta shells
1 heaping tsp. garlic cloves (minced)
1 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1/8 cup Italian breadcrumbs
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoons dried parsley
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. basil
1/8 cup heavy cream
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Sauce
2 heaping tsp. minced garlic
4 oz tomato sauce
4 oz tomato paste
7 oz stewed or diced tomatoes
2 tsp. dried oregano
½ Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, separate and set aside.
Combine garlic, chicken, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, cream, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, parmesan, and half of the mozzarella.
For sauce, put tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Combine all ingredients in a separate bowl and add tomatoes to create a pink pasta sauce.(you may substitute this sauce with red or white sauce, if you prefer.)
Pour half of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Stuff shells 1 by 1 with the chicken/cheese mixture and place in rows into the baking dish on top of the sauce. Top the shells with shredded mozzarella and pour the over half of the sauce over the top of shells. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serves 3.