Chicken and Bechamel Stuffed Shells with Vine Ripe Tomato Sauce

I love to make tomato sauce from scratch. This sauce is so easy and delicious that you will never open a jar of sauce again. This recipe pairs the sauce with creamy, savory stuffed shells, but can be used any time a
recipe calls for red sauce.

Tomato Sauce

4 Vine ripe tomatoes, cored and halved (if you dont have good tomatoes, use a 28 ounce can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 Teaspoon crushed red pepper seeds

1 Generous pinch of sugar

2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 Cup full bodied red wine
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Make Sauce

Core 4 tomatoes and cut in half. Squeeze seeds into a sink. Place tomatoes in a food processor and grind until you have a smooth paste. Heat olive oil and add garlic in a sauce pan. Cook garlic until softened. Add tomato paste and incorporate well creating a rich red oil. Add a pinch of sugar, the tomatoes, wine, oregano, parmesan rind and crushed red pepper. Stir occasionally allowing sauce to become a deep red color. Simmer and stir for at least 40 minutes and up to 2 hours. Remove rind. Salt and pepper to taste.


 Stuffed Shells

16 Large shells

1 Large Rotisserie chicken, white meat boned and shredded

1/2 Cup milk
1/4 Cup white wine
3/4 Cup chicken broth

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Shallot, finely diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 Cup sour cream

3 Tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon of flour
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving


Make Shells

While the sauce is simmering, make the shells. Cook shells according to package and cool on foil sprayed with cooking spray. To make Bechamel sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan and add flour. Stir until well incorporated. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and milk. Place back on heat and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a sauté pan and sauté shallots until translucent. Add garlic and stir to incorporate cooking until the garlic softens, but does not brown. Set aside. Remove white chicken meat (save dark meat for use another time) shred with a fork and place in a bowl with the fresh cut herbs and cooked shallot mixture. Pour half the cream mixture into the bowl with the chicken stuffing and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. 

  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep a caserole dish with cooking spray. Stuff each shell with a heaping spoonful of chicken mixture and place in a caserole dish. Next, add 1/4 cup white wine and 1/4 cup chicken broth to remaining sauce in pan  and heat through. Pour the remaining cream sauce over the stuffed shells and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the foil and top with shredded mozzarella. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until mozzarella is melted. Place 4 stuffed shells on a plate, spoon warm tomatoe sauce and top and dress with freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

Makes 4 servings  

Cooks Note: I serve this with a simple salad of chopped romaine lettuce dressed with olive oil, salt pepper and a squeeze of lemon.