Indulge in a delectable culinary journey with our diverse collection of pantry-friendly paella-style shells and cheese recipes. These one-pot wonders are a harmonious blend of classic comfort food and vibrant Spanish flavors. From the traditional Paella Shells and Cheese, bursting with juicy shrimp, tender chicken, and an array of colorful vegetables, to the vegetarian delight of the Meatless Paella Shells and Cheese, packed with a medley of roasted red peppers, zucchini, and spinach. For a creamy and cheesy indulgence, try our Four-Cheese Paella Shells and Cheese, featuring a luscious combination of cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, and cream cheese. And for a taste of the sea, the Seafood Paella Shells and Cheese is a delightful symphony of shrimp, mussels, and calamari, harmoniously united in a saffron-infused broth. Each recipe promises a culinary adventure that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
QUICK SHELLS AND CHEESE
Provided by Ree Drummond : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 16m
Yield 8 to 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cheeses and stir until melted. Stir in the pepper, salt and seasoned salt. Drain the pasta, and stir it into the cheese sauce. Serve immediately.
PANTRY PAELLA
Provided by Nigella Lawson : Food Network
Time 1h5m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Put the saffron threads into a small pan over a medium heat with the sherry and warm them, not letting the liquid come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
- Heat the oil in a wide, heavy based pan over low heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the sliced garlic and cook for a minute or so more. Stir in the rice, coat the grains in the oil, then add the prawns, baby squid, pork and peas. Mix to combine.
- Heat the chicken stock in a small pot over medium heat, or make up the concentrate or cubes with boiling water. Stir in the sherry and saffron mixture and combine well. Add the stock mixture to the rice and bring it to a bubble, then turn the heat down to a low simmer, but leave uncovered.
- Cook without stirring for 15 to 20 minutes, and by that time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be tender. Gently stir with a fork to separate the grains, and check the seasoning, adding salt, if needed.
- Serve the paella edged with lemon wedges, and sprinkled with cilantro.
PANTRY PAELLA STYLE SHELLS AND CHEESE
When my twins were two years old I was working evenings. They loved pasta and cheese and it was easy for my hubby to fix. But by itself it is not too healthy. I devised a series of recipes based on a box (or two) of Shells and Cheese and various cans of food. The shells and cheese called for in these recipes are the kind with the cheese sauce, not the powder kind. Remember this is a mac and cheese dish not real paella made with rice and without cheese.
Provided by Nyteglori
Categories Macaroni And Cheese
Time 20m
Yield 6-8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Prepare noodles as directed, adding bay leaf to cooking water. Do not add cheese yet. While noodles are cooking open cans and place in bottom of colander.
- Dump noodles on top of other ingredients in colander. By dumping the hot water on top of the other ingredients it heats those ingredients up. Do not rinse.
- Dump all back in noodle pan and add cheese sauce mixing well. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 233, Fat 9.6, SaturatedFat 2.6, Cholesterol 118.2, Sodium 652.9, Carbohydrate 11.6, Fiber 2.9, Sugar 0.5, Protein 24.1
CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD PAELLA
Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that teaches you how to slow cook and build deep flavors into a meal-and it's something you need to try at least once in your life.
Provided by Seamus Mullen
Categories main-dish
Time 3h
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 30
Steps:
- (Note: Lobster Stock recipe not shown in video. Make Lobster Stock before commencing with the rest of the paella, or substitute chicken stock.) Lobster Stock: Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil; cook lobsters, 5 minutes. Remove lobsters, reserving water. When cool enough to handle, remove the tails and claws, keeping shells intact, and set aside for the paella. Place lobster bodies on a sturdy surface, belly side up. Cut in half, then quarters, keeping shells intact.In a medium stockpot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and sauté lobster body pieces, 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring to thoroughly coat the lobster. Deglaze the pan with brandy and cook off the alcohol, about 1 minute; then add onion, carrots, tomato, fennel, and garlic and continue sautéing, 3-5 minutes. Add 6 cups of the reserved lobster water, stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain stock into a large bowl, discarding lobster pieces and vegetables. Remove 1 cup of the stock; steep a pinch of saffron threads in the hot liquid for 3-4 minutes, then return the saffron-infused broth to the stock. Reserve Lobster Stock for paella. Sofrito: Dice onions and bell pepper (pieces should be the same size); set aside in separate bowls. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Grate over a bowl flesh-side down and discard tomato skin. Smash garlic cloves and roughly chop; use the back of the knife to crush the garlic, then continue to chop to a rough paste. Set aside. Discard stem and seeds of soaked chile; use a knife gently scrape the flesh from the skin of the pepper. Discard the skin and set flesh aside in a small bowl.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, then 1 more tablespoon olive oil. Stir and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers and chile to the onions; then add the grated tomato and season with salt and pepper. Stir, then add garlic and vinegar. Stir to thoroughly combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer Sofrito uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced by two-thirds, about 2 hours. Makes 2 cups Sofrito. (Note: Freeze leftovers in small portions to defrost and use as needed. Even for a quick rice or pasta dish, a bit of this will make all the difference in flavor.)
- Paella: Discard outer casing from chorizo, then dice and set aside. Prepare lobster pieces by cutting across the tail in 2-inch medallions, leaving shells intact. Use the back of a knife to crack the claws. Set lobster aside. Place shrimp and chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a paella pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until smoking, 1 minute. Lay chicken pieces skin-side down, then the shrimp, in an even layer to sear. After 30 seconds, turn shrimp, cook 30 more seconds, then remove and set aside. (Shrimp will be lightly seared, not fully cooked.)Continue cooking chicken until the skin is golden brown, 2 minutes; to maintain even heat, use the handles to turn the pan as the chicken cooks. Turn chicken over and add chorizo. Add 1 cup Lobster Stock; it should sizzle and steam when it hits the hot pan. Add 1 cup Sofrito and gently stir to combine and return to active simmer, about 30 seconds.
- When paella is at an active simmer, add rice, distributing evenly in the pan. (Note: An active simmer is important; it helps the rice release its starch, giving paella the proper consistency.) Add another 1½ cups stock; gently stir, and season with a pinch or two of salt. Let simmer, turning the pan as necessary so the heat is evenly distributed. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking the paella, adding ½ cup of stock at a time as it absorbs, about 20 minutes.
- Flip the chicken pieces, adding stock to the parts of the pan that look drier. As the paella cooks and the dish firms up, the rice will begin to change from translucent to opaque. Stir gently to allow a bit of socarrat (the crispy bottom that is the prized part of paella) to begin to form on the bottom.
- When the rice has nearly finished cooking (about 25 minutes total), bury the clams into the paella, followed by the mussels. Then layer the shrimp on top. Raise the heat to medium-high.
- Add lobster tail and claw pieces to the pan. Flip the shrimp to let them cook completely through. Check that the chicken is cooked through: Cut into a piece and check that the color is rosy, but not deep pink. Taste the paella for seasoning and add a pinch more salt, if necessary. Finish the paella with a final drizzle of olive oil. Remove the paella pan from the heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. (Note: Discard any clams or mussels that have not opened.)
EASY PAELLA
You may not think of paella as a weeknight dish, but this half-hour recipe might change your mind. The trick is to start it on the stove and finish it in a superhot oven so you get a nice, crisp crust on the bottom. The name "paella" refers not to a combination of rice, seafood, sausage and other meats, but rather to the paellera, a large pan that looks like a flat wok. But you don't need one to make a good paella. A cast-iron skillet will do just fine. Shrimp is called for here, but you can use chicken, sausage, vegetables, scallops, pork or firm tofu in its place.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories dinner, weekday, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or as near as you can. Warm the stock in a saucepan with the saffron. Place a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. One minute later, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, and cook, stirring occasionally, until glossy -- just a minute or two. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and add the warmed stock, taking care to avoid the rising steam. Stir in the shrimp, and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Bake about 25 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is dry on top. Garnish, and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 605, UnsaturatedFat 11 grams, Carbohydrate 89 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 1024 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams
Tips:
- Use a large skillet or Dutch oven to cook the shells and cheese so that there is plenty of room for the ingredients to spread out and cook evenly.
- Cook the shells according to the package directions, but be sure to drain them well before adding them to the skillet.
- Use a variety of cheeses to create a flavorful and creamy sauce. A good combination is cheddar, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
- Add some frozen or fresh vegetables to the skillet along with the shells and cheese. This will make the dish more nutritious and colorful.
- Season the dish with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
- Top the shells and cheese with bread crumbs or grated Parmesan cheese before baking. This will give the dish a nice golden crust.
Conclusion:
Pantry paella-style shells and cheese is a quick and easy meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. It is a versatile dish that can be customized to your liking. You can use different types of pasta, cheeses, vegetables, and seasonings to create a dish that is uniquely yours. So next time you are looking for a quick and easy meal that is sure to please everyone at the table, give pantry paella-style shells and cheese a try.
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