Chicken Stuffed Shells

Eric and I made this right before we went home for Thanksgiving. We froze the extra shells to have when we got back. These shells were absolutely delicious when we made them, but I think they were even better when we reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day. This recipe makes a ton of food, so you might want to half the recipe. Even though we froze half, we still had too much. This is definitely a great recipe for a crowd.

Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
1 box (or more) uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 50-55)
6 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts, cooked and coarsely shredded
30 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley (1 tablespoon. fresh, chopped)
6 large basil leaves, torn
1/3 cup half and half
approx. 28 oz. pasta sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375°.
-Cook pasta shells according to package directions and drain.
-Separate onto a cutting board or cookie sheet to prevent from sticking together.
-Add ingredients garlic through half and half to a food processor and process until just combined.
-Add more salt and pepper if necessary, to taste.
-Spoon enough sauce into baking dish(es) to cover the bottom.
-Fill the cooked shells with the ricotta mixture and place open side up in a prepared baking dish.
-Spoon as much of the remaining sauce over shells as desired.
-Bake covered with foil for 15-20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for 5 minutes.
-Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
-If freezing extra shells, to cook from the freezer, thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed above.

Source: Annie’s Eats