Giant Pasta Shells: Turkey, Garlic and Sundried Tomato Pesto
This is A Canadian Food Original Recipe that is excellent as a main or as a one bite wonder.
Servings: 45
Ingredients
- 1 large onion , minced
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 6 large cloves of garlic , peeled and minced (or one large bulb)
- one kilo ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons of dried basil
- 8 ounces of cream cheese
- 8 ounces of sun-dried tomato pesto (homemade recipe follows)
- salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
- heavy cream
- mozzarella , Gouda, or gruyere cheese
- 1 and a half boxes of giant pasta shells (made with durum wheat)
Instructions
- Sauté onion over medium heat until translucent (about 3-5 minutes)
- Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds
- Add meat to brown (5-8 minutes), stirring often to break down
- Add basil and pesto, stir to combine
- Add cheese, stir to melt into mixture; season with salt and freshly ground pepper
- While mixture cools, boil shells until al dente
- Drain and drizzle with olive oil to keep separate; set aside
- Let mixture cool until manageable; stuff pasta shells generously
- Freeze individually on cookie sheets; wrap well, label with date and freeze until needed
OR
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Place stuffed shells in baking dish; cover bottom with heavy cream (just a skim to cover bottom of casserole dish)
- Slice cheese of choice and cover shells; tent foil over dish and bake 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly
- Serve with a tossed green salad
Amount:
- Each box of shells has about 30 good shells in it once they are cooked and it takes about 20 minutes to cook them; discard the broken bits
- Each recipe will make about 45 shells, so I usually double the recipe and use 3 boxes of shells
Notes
Six shells is ample for an individual serving. If making in a large casserole, count 5 per person. When serving as a "one bite wonder" at a huge potluck party, or as an appetizer at the beginning of a meal, I add thin slivers of fresh garlic into the center of the meat stuffed into each large shell to increase the garlic pucker power punch; it is extraordinary for a small portion.