Thanksgiving Leftovers Stuffed Shells Food

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook shell pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Whisk flour into 3 tablespoons of turkey broth in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps; transfer to a saucepan. Whisk turkey gravy, sherry, and 1/2 cup turkey broth into the flour mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until thick, about 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.
• Process turkey and stuffing in a food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add ricotta cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese to the food processor and blend until filling is thoroughly combined, about 1 more minute. Add egg and pulse 1 or 2 times to combine. Transfer turkey and cheese filling to a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 cup more mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley.
• Pour about 1/4 of the turkey gravy mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and swirl to coat the bottom. Stuff shells with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the turkey filling and arrange in the baking dish. Pour remaining turkey gravy over the shells and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over the gravy. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set, the casserole is bubbling, and the cheese topping has melted, about 45 minutes.

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Place turkey and stuffing in food processor, and pulse until finely ground and combined. Place the ground turkey and stuffing mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and 2 cups of the mozzarella. Mix with paddle attachment on medium-low until well blended.
• Spread 1/2 cup of gravy on the bottom of the prepared dish. Stuff the pre-cooked pasta shells with the turkey mixture and place in the dish in tight rows. Top with the remaining gravy and the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes until top is browned and bubbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

THANKSGIVING STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook shells according to package directions for al dente., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix mozzarella cheese, turkey, stuffing and green onions. In a small bowl, stir sweet potatoes and, if desired, mix in chili powder., Drain shells; fill each with 2 tablespoons stuffing mixture and 2 teaspoons sweet potato mixture. Arrange in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, covered, 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with gravy.

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and then add in the pasta shells. I usually cook a few extra in case some fall apart. Cook for half of the time indicated on the package plus one minute. (About 5-6 minutes depending on the package you use). Drain the shells and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to be easily separated. Drain off any water and separate onto a sheet of parchment paper on the counter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Add in the ricotta cheese and mix until completely combined. Add in the basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, and salt + pepper to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Stir gently.
• Finely grate the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add two cups of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese into the cheese mixture. Gently stir to completely combine.
• Transfer this cheese mixture to a large (gallon-sized) zipper-top plastic bag. Snip off 1-inch of the corner of the bag and "pipe" the cheese mixture into each of the shells. Each shell should get about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture (which should fill 25-26 shells).
• Spread half of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 3-quart (9x13-inch) baking dish.
• Place stuffed shells in the baking dish with the open side facing up. Pack the shells in close together.
• Cover shells evenly with the remaining 2 and 1/2 cups marinara sauce. Aim to completely cover all of the shells to avoid hard parts of the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the shells. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with freshly chopped basil if desired. I also like to add a little more cracked pepper to the top!