Mama Mia, Ole!

Mexican Stuffed Shells.  

Its like the Midwestern attempt at Fusion Cuisine, because its basically Chicken Enchiladas in pasta shells rather than tortillas.  

And, boy-oh-boy, is it tasty!

Yes, that's 3 blocks of cream cheese.

Now the recipe does make 2 (9x13) pans worth, however I used Neufchatel cheese instead; 1/3 less fat and when there's so much of it, I don't notice a difference.

  

I've been experimenting with substituting it in cooking recipes, but when it comes to baking, it may be more noticeable.  The biggest thing for me is texture, and that's what I like about Neufchatel cheese, is that it has the same texture as cream cheese in cooking, so far, when many low-fat dairy products are runnier/thinner and have an added zing! of flavor to distract you from the lack of creaminess.

So, Neufchatel. I said it again.

Salt water and bring to a boil in a large pot.

Meanwhile, feed the hungry baby, if applicable.  Until he looks like this!

Boil shells until just al dente, according to instructions on the box.

Drain and forget about them for awhile.

Chop 1/2 of 3 different colored peppers, 6 green onions and chicken. 

Yeah, that's obnoxious, but the different colors look pretty--so really, whatever amount of whatever peppers you want.

Combine in bowl with cumin and black beans.

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, chicken broth and canned tomatoes with chiles and stir until well-blended. 

(I used 2 cans diced tomatos and 1 can green chiles).

In retrospect I would say to do this in a saucepan on the stove or microwave-safe bowl, because you really have to heat the cream cheese to get it to combine with the tomatoes and not be just little chunks.

Still some chunks of cream cheese, but good enough.

Add chicken mixture to cream cheese mixture.

Spread 1/3 c salsa into bottom of each pan.

Stuff shells with chicken mixture and place in pan.  

There will be leftover filling, so stuff generously.

Now for the finishing touches...

If your cheese has been compromised by a family  member, trim the offending piece and shred the rest.

Pour remaining 1/3 c or so of salsa over the shells.

Top with cheese.

Bake one and freeze the other. [unless your crowd is really hungry]

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min, until hot and bubbly.
If cooking from frozen, thaw in fridge 24 hrs and probably bake covered for 1 hr or so, until hot and bubbly.

Dig in!

This dish is fantastic, like a dairy explosion in your mouth! I bet you could reduce from 3 to 2 blocks of cream cheese and not even notice the difference.

One thing that stood out was that the peppers were still pretty crunchy, which Brett prefers, so good for our household, but its not what one would expect from a "casserole".  I think you could bake it for an hour and take care of that, or sautee the peppers and onions prior, just to soften, then that could give it a seared flavor.  Like eating fajita veggies, in which case I would change the name to Chicken Fajita Stuffed Shells.


Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells
by Glenda Emree

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 green onions, diced
• 1/2 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) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup of picante sauce
• 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

Instructions

1. Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water 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. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
3. To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin 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. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
5. Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 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 1/4 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.