BBQ Stuffed Shells

Submitted by MizEmerilLagasse

"These are some of the weirdest little things I've ever created, but they sure are good! These are a great side to take to a potluck or BBQ. They are also a perfect main course next to some potatoe salad and baked beans."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb ground beef or 3 chicken breasts
• 1 cup your favorite barbecue sauce (You can use more to taste)
• 2 1⁄2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 1⁄2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, cobly jack or 1 1/2 cups monterey jack pepper cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F, and line a 9"-13" pan with greased foil.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook shells until al dente.
3. Brown the ground beef or chicken breasts until fully cooked.
4. If using chicken, shred the meat and stir in the BBQ sauce, and set aside.
5. If using beef, just stir in the BBQ sauce, and set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta and egg.
7. Drain the pasta and fill each one, half way full, with the ricotta.
8. Fill the rest of the way full with meat mixture.
9. Bake for 15 minutes then sprinkle on the cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
10. Enjoy!

Reviews

[coconutcream]

This was just ok. I wasn't crazy about the amount of ricotta in the shells...next time I'll either reduce that or mix something else in with it (cottage cheese or mozzarella, perhaps) to change the flavor. I used ground beef and cheddar cheese - I think I'll use more cheddar next time! I had a lot of leftover shells that wouldn't fit in the dish and that I didn't have enough meat left to fill anyway. All in all those, this was pretty tasty and certainly not a bad dinner.

 

[Meredith C-ville]

These were a hit here, too. I used chicken and replaced ricotta with cottage cheese. I also added 10 oz spinach to the cottage cheese mixture. I made them ahead, froze in two batches, and reheated when we needed them. This worked great. Thanks!

 

[looneytunesfan]

My family really loved this. Can't wait for tomorrows lunch for the leftovers. Thank you.