You can take the easy route with these and use any leftovers that you have in the fridge after a holiday or a big meal. It’s a fantastic way to make your old food new again. My family, that doesn’t eat leftovers usually for whatever reason, doesn’t even know that I am refreshing a dish that they ate the day before. Of course there are times when the craving for one or two of these yummy shells takes over and there are no leftover potatoes. That’s when I start up with a brand new fresh batch. I know that they aren’t going to go to waste when they are made this way.
Check out what they are saying about this recipe over at The Recipe Rebel:
“Holy Delectable Deliciousness! I’m so excited to make these for dinner!”
Now that I know how good these are, we have them all the time!
Ingredients
16 large pasta shells, cooked and cooled
18 Little Yellow Potatoes
½ cup Swanson chicken broth or milk
¼ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp basil pesto (or substitute fresh or dried herbs of choice)
Salt to taste
1 and ½ cups Kraft shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2-3 slices Hormel bacon, diced, cooked and crumbled
Green onions for garnish
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Salt to taste
Instructions
If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If making ahead, preheat the oven before you wish to bake it. Grease a 9×9” pan and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve or quarter the potatoes (only to speed up cooking time) and add to the water (adding them before the water is boiling is fine). Cook 7-10 minutes, until tender. Drain.
Mash potatoes with chicken broth, garlic, and pesto. Salt to taste. Stir in ½ cup of cheese.
Place potatoes in a disposable piping bag or large Ziploc bag. Cut about a ½” wide opening in the end of the bag and pipe potatoes into the shells (this is the easiest way – feel free to also spoon it in). Place potato stuffed shells in prepared pan. *To make ahead, cover now and refrigerate. Refrigerate all of your garnishes as well.
Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare Béchamel sauce: In a large pot (it can be the same one you used for the potatoes), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened. Season with salt as desired.
Remove pan from the fridge. Drizzle shells with Béchamel sauce, sprinkle with cheese and bacon and bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Broil 1-2 minutes if desired. Sprinkle with green onions.
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Quick Tip: Make ahead and put in the fridge until it’s time to bake.
Thanks again to The Recipe Rebel for this scrumptious and easy dish.
