Cheesy Skillet Shells with Air Fried Broc & Buttery Garlic Ritz Crumb

Cheesy Skillet Shells w Broc & Ritz Crumb

Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 35 - 40 Min

Yields: 4 Servings

What You Need

• 5 C Dry Large Shell Pasta
• Sour Cream
• Green Onions, sliced

RITZ CRUMB

• 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 Clove Garlic, crushed & minced
• Good Handful Ritz Crackers, smashed in to crumbs / chunks
• Pinch or Two Red Pepper Flakes
• Himalayan Salt

AIR FRIED BROC

• 4 C Broccoli Florets, try to keep them all similar in size
• EVOO
• Himalayan Salt, Cracked Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes

SAUCE

• 1/4 C Unsalted Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 small Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
• 1 C Whipping Cream, room temperature
• 2/3 C 2% Milk, room temperature
• 1 Tsp. Dry Mustard Powder
• A Few Dashes Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• 1 C Monterey Jack with Habanero, shredded
• 1 C Marble Cheddar, shredded
• 1 C Extra Old White Cheddar, shredded

Directions

• RITZ CRUMB - Heat the butter until bubbly and melted. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and let that bubble away in the butter for a couple minutes without burning. Stir as needed. Fold in the Ritz crumbs and continue to stir the crumbs over the heat until they get golden and fragrant. Once they're golden and perfect, season with a pinch of salt, stir, and transfer them to a bowl and set aside.​

• AIR FRIED BROC - Preheat your Air Fryer to 350 F. Once heated, add toss your florets together with EVOO, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Transfer them to the frier basket and put them in the air fryer. The florets will take approximately twenty minutes depending on the size of your florets. Make sure to flip them halfway and monitor them afterwards for any scorching. The stalks will still have a little crisp while the tops will be slightly charred and perfectly cooked.​​

• SKILLET SHELLS - Bring a large pot of cold, heavily salted water to a boil and once boiled, add your shells and cook to al dente. In the meantime, begin heating the butter, pepper flakes, and garlic, in a large skillet set to just about medium. Once heated, continue to stir for 30 seconds - 1 minute without burning. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt and pep. Reduce the heat if needed to allow the onions to cook without scorching.
• Let the onions cook about 5 - 7 minutes, then, sprinkle in the flour and stir until a nice, light golden roux is formed. Continue to stir and simmer another minute or so to cook out the flour flavour. You do not want the roux to brown. Whisk together the cream & milk, and slowly whisk in the cream / milk until combined. Bring your sauce to a boil and once boiled, season with dry mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, some cracked pep, and a few dashes nutmeg. Reduce to a simmer, whisk to combine, and let simmer 4 - 5 minutes until the shells are ready.​​ Be prepared to add small ladles of pasta water to keep the sauce simmering until the shells are al dente perfection.
• Reserve 1/3 of the cheeses. Add the rest in batches to the creamy sauce along with a small ladle of pasta water. Make sure to turn off the heat to the skillet once you add the cheese! Whisk and stir until your sauce is thick and creamy, adding additional pasta water if needed. Once the noodles are ready, strain them directly in to the pot with the cheesy shells and stir until all of the noods are coated and cheesy. You may need another ladle of pasta water to get that thick, creamy sauce to coat all of your shells. Taste and adjust salt / pepper if desired at this point. Next, top with the reserved cheese, and set under the BROILER at high / 500 F until the cheese is melted and blistered.
• Set the skillet on to a wire cooling rack. Pile the air fried broccoli in the center of the skillet. I added my sour cream to a squeeze bottle so I could drizzle it over the skillet. If you don't have one, you can either dollop it around the skillet, or serve your portions with a little dollop. Finish with some sliced green onions and a generous sprinkling of the Ritz crumble.
• Serve each portion and if desired, top with any remaining Ritz crumble and ENJOY! ​

HAPPY VEG