Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
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.
Servings: 5 servings of 5 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
- ½ c sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped (see notes)
- ½ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
- 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-1½ c prepared pesto, divided (we prefer to make our own basil, zucchini, or pumpkin seed pesto)
- ⅓ 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 ½ cup of mozzarella, all of the Parmesan cheese, and the prepared chicken. Toss to combine.
- Add ½ 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 ½ cup of prepared pesto in the bottom of the 9x13 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 ½ 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.