Juicy shredded chicken, zippy pesto, and a cozy mixture of sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese are crammed into tender baked shell pasta in these pesto chicken stuffed shells. This dish is the perfect way to use leftover chicken to create a comforting veggie and protein packed dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with lean protein and healthy veggies.
- Great for preparing ahead of time and freezer friendly.
- Loaded with rich, cozy flavors from pesto, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Ingredients
- Jumbo shells – you’ll want large jumbo shells so you’ll have plenty of room for the filling. You’ll use about 2/3 of a box of shells (about 25 shells) and we recommend cooking a few extra to replace any that break during cooking.
- Cooked chicken – this recipe is perfect for using leftover chicken. If we don’t have any on hand our go-to is Instant Pot shredded chicken for a simple hands-off option.
- Yellow onion and garlic – for savory flavor and crunch.
- Zucchini and mushrooms – add a healthy dose of veggies that you don’t even really notice because they’re hidden in the pesto and cheesy filling.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – for a little unique tangy flavor.
- Shredded cheese – part skim mozzarella and Parmesan cheese add a salty cheesiness to these shells without overdoing it. We wanted the cheese to amplify the other flavors of the veggies, chicken, and pesto, not overpower them.
- Pesto sauce – adds a ton of yummy herby flavor to the filling and helps to keep the pasta tender during baking. We prefer to make our own pesto, but store bought is a quick and easy option too. Our favorite pestos to use in this dish are zucchini pesto, pumpkin seed pesto, or sun-dried tomato pesto (for an interesting variation).
- Chicken broth – for thinning the pesto sauce, if needed.
- Extra virgin olive oil – for sauteing the veggies.
- Salt and pepper – to round out all the flavors of this dish.
Tips for Making Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
- Rinse the cooked shells with cold water to stop the shells from continuing to cook and from sticking together while you prepare the filling.
- Make a few extra shells. This recipe calls for about 25 shells, but you should make a few extra in case some tear when they are boiled.
- Reduce prep time with a few easy substitutions. You can use store-bought pesto and grocery rotisserie chicken to simplify this dish. You can also prep some of the ingredients ahead of time, like chopping the onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and sun-dried tomatoes, cooking the pasta, or even making the filling entirely.
- Substitute your favorite meat. Feel free to swap out the chicken with chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or pork sausage or try ground chicken or turkey (we don’t recommend this dish with ground beef or bison).
How to Make Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta (varies from 10-15 minutes by brand). Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and to keep the noodles from sticking together. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms and zucchini release their liquid. Drain any liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the filling from heat and stir in ยฝ cup of mozzarella, all of the Parmesan cheese, and the prepared chicken. Toss to combine.
Add ยฝ cup of prepared pesto to the filling and stir to incorporate. If the pesto is thick, use a few tablespoons of chicken broth to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.
Spoon another ยฝ cup of prepared pesto in the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish. Again, if the pesto is thick, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to the sauce. Spread the pesto around the bottom of the pan until it is fully covered.
Scoop the filling into the shells and place the stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, repeating until all of the shells are stuffed or you run out of filling. This recipe should yield 22-25 shells depending on how full you stuff the shells.
Top the shells with the remaining ยฝ cup of mozzarella cheese. If you have leftover pesto, you can dollop the remaining pesto over the shells. Cover loosely with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-12 minutes until the cheese is runny and the shells are warmed throughout. Remove and serve with additional Parmesan cheese or pesto sauce, if desired.
How to Store
Refrigerate leftover pesto chicken stuffed shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat leftover shells in an oven-safe dish covered with foil for 15 to 20 minutes at 350F, or until warmed throughout.
To freeze, tightly seal the prepared uncooked shells in a freezer safe airtight container. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw frozen stuffed shells in the refrigerator overnight. Cook the shells according to recipe instructions once thawed.
Recipe Variations
- Meat – in addition to shredded or cubed chicken, this pesto filling goes well with chicken sausage, turkey sausage, and pork sausage. We like to use sausage links and then remove the raw meat from the casings, brown in the pan with the veggies, and break into bite-size crumbles with a wooden spoon. You can also try it with ground turkey or chicken, but you will want to add more seasonings, like Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, thyme, caraway seeds, garlic powder, and/or onion powder, as you cook the ground meat to give it more flavor.
- Veggies – we keep this filling simple with just onion, mushrooms, and zucchini. However, you can add in any veggies, like small broccoli florets, chopped bell pepper, spinach, yellow squash, or eggplant.
- Cheese – we prefer part skim mozzarella and a touch of Parmesan cheese in this filling. You can try it with more traditional ricotta cheese or a more unique blend like Gouda, Asiago, Manchego, or Pecorino cheese.
- Sauce – you can use a variety of different pesto sauces to switch things up. We love using zucchini pesto, but pumpkin seed pesto, classic basil pesto, kale pesto, or even sun-dried tomato pesto are fun variations that pack in different veggies and nuts, making each dish feel a little different.
What to Pair with Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
We designed this recipe to be a complete and balanced meal on its own since it is a little more time intensive to prepare. However, feel free to add your favorite side. Check out some of our suggestions.
- Veggies โ add a side of your favorite seasonal veggie. Our go-tos are green beans, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, or yellow squash. Try them sauted, oven-roasted, air fried, or steamed.
- Side salad โ start with a garden, Greek, Caesar, or your favorite side salad for some extra veggies.
- Bread โ a slice of homemade bread, homemade breadsticks, dinner rolls, or garlic bread are perfect for soaking up extra pesto sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Cook the pasta, prepare the filling, and stuff the shells. Then cover the prepared shells and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. We do not recommend making shells more than 24 hours in advance as the shells may become bloated as they soak up the pesto sauce and any moisture from the filling.
Stuffed shells can last up to 4 days in the refrigerator or for 2-3 months in the freezer.
Drain and rinse cooked shells with cold water to keep them from sticking together. You can also spread rinsed shells out on a piece of parchment paper so that they do not stick together.
Freeze stuffed shells unbaked. Cover prepared shells tightly with plastic wrap and store them in an airtight, freezer safe container in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Check out our other family favorite dinner recipes
- Ground turkey stuffed peppers
- Ground turkey taco stuffed shells
- Greek stuffed peppers
- Sausage and spinach lasagna
- Hamburger pasta
Let us know what you think about our recipe for pesto chicken stuffed shells by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 25-30 jumbo shells (make a few extra in case they tear during cooking)
- 3 c cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (we like to make our Instant Pot shredded chicken)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small zucchini, finely diced
- 8 oz button or baby bella mushrooms, finely diced
- ยฝ c sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped (see notes)
- ยฝ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ยผ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
- 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
- ยผ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-1ยฝ c prepared pesto, divided (we prefer to make our own basil, zucchini, or pumpkin seed pesto)
- โ c low sodium chicken broth, for thinning the pesto as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta (varies from 10-15 minutes by brand). Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and to keep the noodles from sticking together. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms and zucchini release their liquid. Drain any liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the filling from heat and stir in ยฝ cup of mozzarella, all of the Parmesan cheese, and the prepared chicken. Toss to combine.
- Add ยฝ cup of prepared pesto to the filling and stir to incorporate. If the pesto is thick, use a few tablespoons of chicken broth to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.
- Spoon another ยฝ cup of prepared pesto in the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish. Again, if the pesto is thick, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to the sauce. Spread the pesto around the bottom of the pan until it is fully covered.
- Scoop the filling into the shells and place the stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, repeating until all of the shells are stuffed or you run out of filling. This recipe should yield 22-25 shells depending on how full you stuff the shells.
- Top the shells with the remaining ยฝ cup of mozzarella cheese. If you have leftover pesto, you can dollop the remaining pesto over the shells. Cover loosely with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-12 minutes until the cheese is runny and the shells are warmed throughout. Remove and serve with additional Parmesan cheese or pesto sauce, if desired.
Notes
- If you are using sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drain the oil and pat dry the tomatoes before chopping to reduce the oily residue. If you are using dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrate them by adding them to a small bowl and cover with water. Soak for 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and coarsely chop.
Leave a Reply