Artichoke and Chicken Stuffed Shells

I love pasta. I love dairy products. In fact if I was on a deserted island, I would wish for a cow, so I could enjoy all the dairy they provide, because I'm pretty sure I could survive on dairy alone. (good thing I'm not lactose intolerant!!!) So. mixing the two worlds together, makes for a very happy meal!

I discovered this recipe a few days ago. But it called for ground turkey. much like ground hamburger, I don't eat ground turkey...so I changed it up. Added a few things, subtracted a few things and came up with this amazing pasta dish. I mean you can't go wrong with browned mozzarella cheese can you?



Artichoke and Diced Chicken Stuffed Shells

1 container of ricotta cheese
11/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced into small chunks
1 package large shell pasta, cooked in salted water
2-3 cups of marinara sauce
1 jar of artichokes chopped finely
1 small yellow onion diced finely
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions until slightly golden. Add chicken until cooked and juices run clear. Add chopped artichoke and cook for 2-3 minutes, just to heat through. Add this mixture to the basil, parsley,
parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese, with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread about half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of pan to prevent sticking. Stuff cooked shells with mixture. Cover with other half of marinara sauce. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes until the cheese turns a golden brown.

**you can also find this over at tasty kitcken...there are soooo many great recipes over there!!!****