Mexican Stuffed Shells

Last night I made a delicious dinner that I wanted to share with all of you.

First of all, let me start by saying I have never had stuffed shells in my life. When my mom suggested we try a stuffed shell recipe, I didn't know where to begin. She found this recipe on one of her Facebook friend's profile. (Thanks, Isa!)

Our delicious stuffed shells!

I never follow directions perfectly but I will tell you what I did instead.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped. (Instead of chopped, I shredded in my mixer!)
• 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) 
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin ( I also added other spices)
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup of picante sauce   I used salsa. 
• 1 can of corn
• 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente (38?! Im not feeding an army. We made about 12 or 15)

Because I cut the shell amount down, I also cut the rest of the recipe in 1/3.

Instructions

1. Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente.  Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling. I actually made them over an hour apart. The shells were fine :)
2. Cook, drain and shred chicken.
3. Mix chicken, drained black beans, diced peppers, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. 
4. In another bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well.
5. Pour salsa into bottom of the pan. :)
6. Using a spoon (or your fingers - which is much more fun!) fill each of your shells, setting them into the pan.
7. When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with more salsa 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. ( I actually baked about 45 minutes and they were perfect!)

I also made some fried rice and a corn, black bean, salsa mix to go with it. It was a perfect Mexican meal!

Harry S. Truman once said... 

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Happy Cooking!

xoxo