turkey chorizo + cilantro pesto stuffed shells.

Okay, I’m really proud of myself for this one. This creation came about last weekend as I was wondering, as one does, in what context tequila would taste good with pasta. I thought this was going to be the most palette-offending experiment of all time, but it turned out to be really delicious. No leftovers delicious.

All the comfort of stuffed shells with a really fun flavor profile. The cilantro pesto is something you can really get creative with too. If you don’t like stuffed shells - still try this pesto. It works great in eggs, breakfast tacos, and even as a sandwich spread.

By the way. you’ll trust have to trust my words versus my photographs on this one. It is incredibly difficult to make stuffed shells look as good as they taste, especially for someone as amatuer in photography as myself.

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This recipe requires a little bit of multitasking, but I’ve tried to break it down in a way that minimizes the chaos: shells - pesto - stuff - sauce - combine - bake. Boil and cool the shells first. I usually boil them for a minute less than the package suggests so that they stay a bit studier for stuffing. Then I seperate them using tongs. You want to separate them so that they don’t cool stuck together. It’s pretty messy if you have to rip them apart when they’ve cooled together. If you do this out of order and don’t cool them, that’s totally fine but way more painful on your finger tips.

Now it’s time for my favorite part — the pesto! I was getting suspicious side eyes from the living room when I began shoving cilantro into the food processor - but there was no doubting me after this dish was finished. This pesto has cilantro, green pepper, garlic, lime juice, avocado oil, red pepper flakes, queso fresco, and sliced almonds. The sliced almonds make it a little easier to achieve a smoother texture quickly. Pulse it all together in the food processor until it’s smooth, I took a photo of what the consistency should look like below to give you an idea.

In a separate bowl, you’re going to combine the ricotta with a shredded Mexican blend. If you want to crumble a little extra queso fresco into here, feel free. Ricotta and queso fresco are pretty similar - ricotta is much softer and a bit more tangy. It makes it perfect for stuffed shells and a really great compliment to the flavors working in this dish. When the cheese is mixed, spoon 2/3 c. of the pesto into the cheese and combine. You’ve completed the filling! Just spoon that filling into the shells. Fill them as much as you’d like, I stuff them about about halfway I’m not a big fan of too much cheese. You may need to use your fingers, but it’s not too much of a hassle.

Let your shells hang out for a bit while you make the sauce. The Diestel ground turkey chorizo is one of my favorite staples. I use it in everything. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, I’ve linked a recipe within my recipe (very meta) down below for a great way to season regular ground turkey to achieve a similar flavor. After browning the turkey, mix in some red pepper, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. I usually pop a dollop of the extra pesto cheese into the sauce to give it a little bit of a creamier texture. After simmering those flavors together, it’s time to pop the shells into the sauce. I just sink the shells into the sauce with tongs and use a spoon to cover them a bit more. Then it’s just bake, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe

Turkey Chorizo + Cilantro Pesto Stuffed Shells

Servings: 6 | Prep time: 45 min | Cook time : 25 min

Recommended Wine Pairing

Something sparkling (or skip the wine and dive into that tequila…)

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. avocado oil
2 bunches of cilantro without the stems (leaves only)
1/2 green pepper, diced
3 peeled garlic cloves
Juice of (1) lime
3 oz queso fresco
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. sliced almonds
16 oz. ricotta cheese
16oz. Diestel turkey chorizo (if you can’t find this, make your own. I love Feasting At Home’s recipe!)
1 shot of tequila
12oz. jumbo shells
1/2 red pepper, diced
8 oz. diced tomatoes (half of a can)
3-4 oz. tomato paste
2 oz. shredded Mexican cheese mix
Salt
Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
Boil 4-6 quarts of salted water in a large pot.
Add the jumbo shells to the pot of boiling water, cook 1 minute under the package direction (usually about 8 minutes).
When the shells have finished cooking, drain them in a colander and let cool on a cutting board or a sheet pan. Separate them so they don’t cool stuck together.
Meanwhile add cilantro, diced green pepper, almonds, red pepper flakes, salt, queso fresco, garlic cloves, and a few shakes of salt to the food processor. Pulse until well blended.
Slowly drizzle 2 tbsps of avocado oil and the lime juice while the pulsing continues. Give it a taste and add more liquid of your choice (oil or lime juice) to achieve a smooth texture with a green specks.
In a separate bowl, mix 16oz of ricotta and 2 oz (about a handful) of shredded Mexican blend cheese until incorporated.
Mix 2/3 c. of the pesto into the cheese mixture.
Spoon the pesto-cheese mixture into each jumbo shell. I prefer my shells to be about 1/2-2/3 full of cheese so it’s not cheese overload, but the world is your oyster. Set each shell back in the area you were cooling them.

When the shells are filled, heat 1 tbsp. of avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Add the turkey chorizo. Brown for about 10 minutes. separating it with the tip of your wooden spoon.
Add a splash of tequila to deglaze the pan, cook for 1 minute until you can no longer smell the alcohol.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and red pepper to the cast iron skillet with the turkey. (Note: If you prefer creamy sauce, you can take any amount of the remaining pesto-cheese mixture and stir it into the sauce!)
Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes.
Take your shells and place them into the cast iron, pushing them into the sauce. Use a spoon to cover some of the shells with the sauce if you feel like they aren’t being covered enough.
Sprinkle a little cilantro and mixed Mexican blend cheese over the top.
Place the cast iron skillet with the sauce + shells into the oven for 20-25 minutes. (If the cheese isn’t look as brown as you want, pop that broiler on for a minute before taking it out of the oven!)
Serve and enjoy.