Cheese and Chicken Shells Recipe

I love experimenting with new recipes, but it equally terrifies me at the same time. It always feel like the gamble of will we be devouring a yummy new meal or will we be frowning in our bowl of Cheerios? Well luck was on my side with dinner tonight! We now have a new family favorite.

Now it should be no surprise to you that we love our spinach after featuring recipes like Cheesy Spinach Lasagna, Chicken Florentine Casserole and my top pick of  Turkey Spinach Lasagna. And when this recipe called for spinach I knew we were already half way there to liking loving what I was about to make.

Cheese and Chicken Shells
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 1 jar 24 oz. Prego Meat Pasta Sauce
• 1 carton of All Whites liquid egg whites, 2 Large
• 1 1/2 cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 8 oz Tyson Chicken Strips, diced (or 4oz if you want less chicken)
• 1 cup Frozen Spinach, cooked and drained of excess water
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Oregano
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Basil
• 3/4 cup Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, shredded; divided
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Additional:

• Cooking Spray
• Wax Paper

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook shells in boiling water according to directions on the box.
3. Rinse with cold water and lay each shell out on wax paper for later use.
4. Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 c of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan (or enough for a thin layer) and set aside.
5. For filling: stir together 2 large egg whites, ricotta cheese, diced chicken, spinach, garlic powder, basil, and oregano.
6. Stir in 1/4 c of mozzarella cheese and add parmesan cheese.
7. Fill each shell with mixture and place filled shells in the baking dish on top of the sauce; repeat until the desired amount of shells or filling is used.
8. Spread remaining sauce on top (using less or more according to your liking).
9. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
10. Salt and pepper to taste if desired.
11. Bake for 30 minutes.

I adapted this recipe to make it a little more “busy-person” friendly. Like the chicken for instance, I found it silly to cook a single chicken breast just to get 4-8 ounces, so I grabbed some of the Tyson Chicken Strips I use to throw on my salads for lunch and it worked out perfectly. It saves on time which is always an added bonus in my book.

I pride myself on my baking abilities but one art I could never quite master was the separating of the white and yellow parts of the egg. So now when a recipe calls for egg whites, I no longer shun away from the attempt and opt to buy All Whites liquid egg whites instead.

What’s on your menu for dinner tonight? Share with us below what you think about this yummy recipe and any changes you made. Enjoy!