Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Shells

This was by far one of my favorite recipes.  It did not take me that long to prepare and the entire family (and even the neighbors) enjoyed them.  My stuffed shells fascination started when I went to my friend Diane's house.  We had a potluck dinner and her husband made some for our main course.  I had never had a stuffed shell before and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious they were.  Ever since then, I have been coming up with ideas that I think would be great in a stuffed shell.  Nick (my husband) has been trying to stay away from pasta dishes with red sauce, so it was great when I came across a recipe on "Like Mother, Like Daughter."  Now you all know that I like to add to recipes to make it my own and that's what I did with this one.  The original recipe is for Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells, however I made some modifications and made it Cajun chicken and shrimp Alfredo stuffed shells.  If you don't like seafood, you can easily still make a Cajun chicken Alfredo stuffed shell.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we all did.  

Recipe: Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp

1 small package of chicken tenderloins (uncooked) OR 2 cups of cooked chicken

15oz of ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 tsp of basil 

1 tsp of oregano

1 cup of Parmesan cheese (divided)

15oz of Alfredo Sauce of your choosing

1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup of Italian 5 cheese shredded cheese

Seasonings: season all, garlic powder, black pepper, creole seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your large shell noodles according to package directions (about 10-12 minutes)
3. When cooking your chicken: 1st- Cut it into chunks (1/4 inch).  2nd- season it with the garlic, black pepper, season all, and the creole seasoning (season to taste).  Place about 1/4 cup of olive or canola oil in a skillet.  3rd- When the oil is heated, add in the chicken and cook until no longer pink. 4th- You can either shred your chicken with a fork or place in a food chopper.  Then set aside.  
4. When cooking your shrimp: 1st- Season with the same seasonings you used for your chicken.  2nd- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. 3rd- Add shrimp and cook for about 5 -7 minutes. 4th- Chop the shrimp into pieces (not huge pieces....bite size). Then set aside. 
5. In a large bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, basil, oregano, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Stir in your chicken and shrimp.
7. Spread about ¾ cup of Alfredo sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (this is so your shells do not stick).  
8. Put a ice size helping of the chicken/shrimp/cheese mixture into the middle of each shell and place into your Alfredo sauce in your pan.
9. Spread remaining Alfredo sauce over the top of your noodles.
10. Top noodles with mozzarella cheese, Italian five cheese, and the remaining 2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
11. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
12. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese on top is melted.
13. When you remove from the oven, let it stand for about 5 minutes.  Serve with salad and your favorite garlic bread.
14. ENJOY!!!!!