2 National Championships and a Recipe

Way to go UCONN!

Ok, enough of that.

As promised I have the recipe for my stuffed shells experiment. I found that these tasted better the second day. I am not sure if it was because I was just more hungry or because that is the way some things are. Anyway, I am happy to report these came out super yummy and are sure to please any of the ranch fans in your life. I do have picture too! Woo Hoo! However, my computer is being a jerk at the moment so I will have to add them in later. Hope you try them and like them as much as the Hubs and I did.

Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Stuffed Shells

1 box Jumbo Shells
Shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese for topping

Filling Ingredients
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (we get these mutant things at out local butcher that are almost 1lb a piece, so if using smaller breasts you want about that much)
1/2 lb bacon
1 small container ricotta cheese
1 Cup shredded Mozzarella
1/2 Cup shredded Cheddar
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 envelopes Ranch dip/dressing mix

Sauce Ingredients
2 cups milk or 1/2 and 1/2 (or a combination of the 2)
8 oz (half a block) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese
S & P to taste

Cook bacon using preferred method until crisp and set aside to cool (I used oven so I could make the filling at the same time). Once cooled chop fine.

Boil chicken breast in a large pot of water until cooked through. Place in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to shred meat (not burned fingers, yay). Add shells to now empty pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. drain.

A remaining filling ingredients to chicken and mix to incorporate evenly. At this point I would suggest tasting the filling to make sure it is "ranchy" enough for you. If not, you can add more of the mix until you get to a place that you like. Stuff filling into shells

For the Sauce - Mix ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Adjust cream/ milk or cream cheese to achieve desired consistency. Note: Sauce will tighten up upon cooling.

Place a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Add stuffed shells.

Pour remaining sauce over shells. Top with additional mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!