Blue Cheese & Bacon Florentine Stuffed Shells
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb. bacon, chopped
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 4 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 12 oz. Whitehall Specialties 807 Organic Ricotta
- 1 cup Whitehall Specialties 125 Pizza Cheese Shred
- 1/2 cup Whitehall Specialties 664 “Top That” Dried & Grated Parmesan Cheese Product
- 1/2 cup Whitehall Specialties Blue Cheese Chunkettes
- 1 large egg
- 1 T fresh basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta shells al dente. Drain and rinse. Set aside. Meanwhile, fry the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove bacon from pan and reserve some of the bacon grease to sauté the garlic. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until reduced by half. The leaves will wilt but color remains a bright green. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a mixing bowl, stir together Whitehall Specialties 807 Organic Ricotta, 125 Pizza Cheese, 664 “Top That” Parmesan Cheese Product, Blue Cheese Chunkettes. Add cooled spinach and bacon, egg, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and mix well. Pour about 1 cup of the Parmesan Cream Sauce (recipe to follow) into the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking pan. Stuff each shell with a generous amount of the ricotta mixture and place carefully in the baking dish on top of sauce. Cover shells with the remaining Parmesan Cream Sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 10-15 minutes, until the top browns and sauce bubbles. Sprinkle with additional Top That! and serve warm. Enjoy!
Parmesan Cream Sauce
- 8 oz. Whitehall Specialties 852 Cream Ease
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 2 cups half & half, divided
- 1 cup Whitehall Specialties 664 “Top That” Dried & Grated Parmesan Cheese Product
- 1 cup Whitehall Specialties 689 Parmesan Cheese Product, fine shred
- 1 T Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley
In a large skillet, melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté to soften. Melt in the Whitehall Specialties 852 Cream Ease. Pour in 1 cup of the heavy cream and seasonings. Whisk together until the Whitehall Specialties 852 Cream Ease is completely melted and all is combined. Mixture will be thick! Whisk in 1 cup of the half & half and bring it to a simmer. Continue to whisk. Sauce will thicken again. Add the remaining heavy cream and half & half. Whisk and simmer until the desired creamy consistency is reached. Turn temperature to low. Whisk in Whitehall Specialties 664 “Top That!” Stir in the Whitehall Specialties 689 Parmesan Cheese Product. Stir until melted and well blended. Serve over your favorite pasta, such as Blue Cheese & Bacon Florentine Stuffed Shells, featured above.
