Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Shells

This is probably the richest and one of the most delicious things I have ever made.  I cannot even begin to describe its yumminess to you:)  It is from the Taste of Home October/November 2010 edition, page 38. I cut the recipe in half because it made 12 servings.  I don't even want to know the calorie count on this.

24 jumbo pasta shells
1 c chopped fresh mushrooms
1 c finely chopped onion
1 T plus 1/4 c butter, divided
1.5 c ricotta cheese
8 oz cream cheese, softened, divided
1.5 c shredded Asiago cheese, divided
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c crumbled cooked bacon
2 T minced fresh parsley, divided
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t pepper
2 T flour
2 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c milk
2 c shredded Romano cheese
1.5 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta until al dente.  Meanwhile, in a skilled saute mushrooms and onion in 1 T butter until tender.  In mixer, combine ricotta and 4 oz cream cheese until well mixed.  Stir in 1/2 c Asiago cheese, Parm, bacon, 1 T parsley, garlic salt, nutmeg, and pepper.  Stuff shells with mix and place in greased 9 x 13 pan.  In a large saucepan, melt butter and add flour.  Stir until smooth and bubbly.  Add milk, broth, and heavy whipping cream.  Bring to a boil and boil for a minute to thicken.  Turn off heat and add remaining Asiago, Romano, and 4 oz cream cheese and parsley.  When melted, pour sauce over shells.  Sprinkle top with mozzarella.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes. 

*This recipe was very involved.  I started right after the girls went down for nap by shredding all my cheeses.  I combined the cheeses and spices in a bowl for the stuffing and also the cheeses for the sauce in another bowl so that I could just dump them in when it was time.  I also made sure to set out my cream cheese well ahead of time so that it was nice and soft.  I warmed my chicken broth (it had been in the refrigerator), milk, and cream in the microwave so that it wouldn't take as long for them to come to a boil because that can really take quite a while if they are cold.  I would suggest cubing the cream cheese that is added to the sauce because it can take a while to melt if it is a big chunk.  The 12 shells I did were relatively crowded in a 9 x 13 pan so if you are doing the full recipe, you may need 2 pans. 

Tomorrow I'll share the recipe for the awesome bread we had with it!