Cheesy Smoked Green Chile Shotgun Shells on the Traeger
Tender tubes of pasta are stuffed with a mixture of shredded Cabot cheese, cream cheese, beef and fresh green chiles, then the whole thing is wrapped in bacon and smoked. Served bathed in green chile stew and with jalapeno ranch for dipping, it's no surprise that Smoked Shotgun Shells are taking the internet by storm!
Equipment
- Bowl & spatula
- Quart ziplock bag
- Scissors
- Cookie sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 bag of Cabot Seriously Sharp shredded cheese
- 1 block of Cabot cream cheese
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 pound thin-sliced bacon
- 2 tbsp Smoke Junkie seasoning
- 1 package of uncooked manicotti shells
- 2 fresh roasted green chiles
- 1 cup prepared green chile stew
Instructions
- Pull out all of your ingredients
- Microwave the block of cream cheese for 15-30 seconds until just soft
- Transfer cream cheese to a mixing bowl and cool to room temperature
- Peel and chop the green chiles and taste for spiciness (adjusting the amount you use based on temperature and your palate)
- To the cream cheese, add the ground beef, the chopped chiles, and the bag of shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the ingredients until consistent in texture
- Transfer the meat mixture into a ziplock bag
- Prep the cookie sheet- line with foil and then put in wire rack
- Using scissors, cut the corner off of the ziplock bag
- Squeeze the meat mixture into the dry manicotti shells, filling as much as you can (You may need to turn it over and fill from the other side too)
- Repeat with the remaining shells
- Wrap each filled shell with bacon, winding tightly and overlapping the strips
- Put the bacon-wrapped shells on the prepared tray and season them generously on all sides with my Smoke Junkie
- Put the tray in the fridge for 3-4 hours
- About 2 hours before serving, preheat your Traeger grill to 225*
- When the grill is hot, put the tray in the grill and close the lid
- Allow the shotgun shells to smoke for about 80 minutes
- When the internal temperature of the shells reaches 150*, spoon green chile stew over each stuffed tube
- Turn up the grill to 350* and cook for 15-20 more minutes, until the sauce has set and the internal temperature reaches 165*
- Remove the tray from the grill and transfer the shells to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly
- Serve with spicy ranch and enjoy!
Video
Notes
For a quick spicy ranch:
In a small blender combine 1 cup Cabot Sour Cream, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 roasted green chile, chopped, and 2 tbsp ranch seasoning. Blend until smooth.