Pesto chicken stuffed shells recipe

My cheese bread post got me thinking about the first time I ever made it. I was making a birthday feast for my roomates, it was a tradition throughout college that we would do for eachother. Although I usually got the most into the cooking part haha. Anyway, that night to serve after the cheese bread I made these pesto chicken stuffed shells and they were DEVINE. I have made them many many times since and for many different people and they have always been the perfect dish.




These are a little bit labor intensive compared to my usual meals, but if you grab yourself a nice tall glass of wine before you start I promise it will be a breeze.

What you'll need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded off the bones  (or package of already shredded, or cook and shred your own whatever is easiest for you)
3 tablespoons pesto (homemade or store bought, but to you)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 box jumbo shell pasta
1 package mushrooms
1 small onion
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Start a large pot of water to boil for your pasta, drop it in once the water is boiling and cook according to package. Also start pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop your mushrooms and onion and sautee them with some olive oil and garlic until they just begin to cook through.
3. In a large bowl combine your cream cheese, chicken (shredded), sauteed veggies, pesto,  about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. (Can you tell I love cheese?) I also like to add a pinch of pepper into the mix. You can give it a taste before you move on to see if it is seasoned to your liking, it usually does not need additional salt or garlic because of the pesto.
4. Drain the pasta once it is cooked, it can be slightly al dente. Then stuff about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each shell and place them into a well greased baking dish. Top the shells with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan (or more if you would like!). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until your cheese is brown and bubbly.

The last time I made this it was as a thank you to my family and Eric and Carly for taking such good care of me while I was in the hospital. Unfortunately, I couldn't move my arms so I had to have my mom cook it all as I instructed her so it wasn't much of a thank you. But they forgot about all that once these tasty treats hit their lips!

My mom also contributed to that meal by making her Pampered Chef inspired garlic rolls. OMG they were good, and SO simple. She just put a couple of tablespoons of melted butter in the bottom of a pie tin and about a teaspoon of minced garlic so it was coating the bottom of the pan. Then she took a roll of some Pillsbury dinner roll dough and tore it off in bite size chunks laying it in a single layer in the tin and then baked according to the package instructions. They were devoured!




Thanks mom, you're the BEST!