This was our recipe of choice to take to our cousin’s house. I’ll give you an easy version, and a sauced up version. They were both good, but my brother and I agreed that we liked the easy, plainer version better. The picture is of the sauced version. The easier version would make a fabulous appetizer or main dish. Stuffing pasta shells for appetizers may become my new obsession!
Shrimp Stuffed Pasta Shells
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs extra large shrimp (16-20 count), cleaned, tail removed
- 1 lemon
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP butter
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- Lemon pepper
- Same number pasta shells (medium-large) as shrimp, cooked to barely al dente
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- ( For easy version - Pinot Grigio wine)
- 2-3 heads garlic (NOT cloves - you need lots of garlic)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2 TBSP flour
- Salt and pepper
- 2/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Sauce
Instructions
- Toss shrimp with fresh lemon juice. Let set for about a 1/2 hour.
- In a large skillet, melt together oil and butter. When hot, add garlic and cook for one minute (do not let brown). Then add shrimp and toss. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Stir once a minute, until cooked through. Remove to cool. Reserve the oil / butter in the pan.
- To make the easy version - smear a little cream cheese into each cooked shell, place a shrimp in each shell. Place all shells back into skillet. Pour in pinot grigio to just cover bottom of skillet. Cover skillet and steam shells until cream cheese is melted and pasta is just done.
- To make the sauced version - Prepare shells with cream cheese and shrimp as for "easy" version. Place shells in greased baking dish. Clean all garlic cloves and place in a small saucepan with the broth, boil until cloves are tender. Mash garlic with broth and set aside. In the skillet with oil (make sure 2 TBSP remains or add some butter), heat the oil / butter. Add flour to make a rue. Stir in garlic and broth mixture. If too thick, stir in a little more broth. Stir in salt, pepper, and cheese. When cheese melts, pour sauce over shells and bake at 350 about 20-30 minutes, until heated through.