Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Shells with Pesto Sauce are sure to become a family favorite recipe!
Hi everyone! Julie from White Lights on Wednesday back again this month with a yummy, comforting dinner the whole family will love. These shells make take a little extra effort, but the taste it totally worth it. I made this batch with a pesto Alfredo sauce, but these shells would be totally awesome with red sauce too. YUM!!
I’m a sucker for Italian food. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods. Maybe it’s just the pasta and pizza addict in me. I mean just look at these Fried Tortellini and Pizza alla Vodka! However, my husband is not the biggest fan of ricotta. *sigh*
But astoundingly he had nothing to say but good things about these shells. I did stretch the ricotta with some sour cream for a little tang, and the mozzarella in the stuffing helps keep everything a little extra cheese. Get your pasta on with some stuffed shells!
Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Shells with Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divded
- 1 – 14.5 ounce jar Roasted Garlic Parmesan Alfredo sauce or 1 3/4 cups your favorite Alfredo sauce
- 2 tablespoons pesto
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle.
- Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and cut into small (diced) pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and sour cream. Add basil, parsley, and nutmeg, stir to combine. Add chicken and half the mozzarella cheese to the ricotta mixture. Mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce and pesto. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, and spread evenly.
- Once pasta is cooled, gently open shells and spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each shell, until it’s nice and full but still able to close. Place filled shell in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining pasta and chicken mixture.
- Top shells with remaining sauce and then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. If you like that golden brown cheese look, you can broil the pasta on HIGH for a few minutes once it’s done baking.
- Carefully remove the pasta from the oven and serve warm.
Nutrition
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Candace says
November 15, 2014 at 9:30 pmThis looks delicious and extremely family friendly! I love anything with pesto. I’ll definitely be trying this.
Julie @White Lights on Wednesday says
November 20, 2014 at 1:51 pmThanks so much Candace! I hope you enjoy them.
[email protected] says
November 16, 2014 at 9:32 amThis looks absolutely delicious! Bring on dinner! Thanks for sharing and for the awesome recipe! PINNED!
Michelle says
November 17, 2014 at 12:10 pmThese look absolutely delicious. It’s going to ruin the pasta I’m having for dinner tonight now haha, but this one is definitely in my tummy’s future!
Mary says
November 18, 2014 at 11:11 amVisiting from Clever Chicks Party. Love this idea. WE don’t eat chicken but I am going to try them with shrimp. Shrimp loves pesto! Thanks for sharing.
Kristina and Millie says
November 18, 2014 at 9:11 pmI haven’t used a pesto sauce, sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try. Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Small Town Girl says
November 18, 2014 at 9:32 pmDivine! What a decadent recipe! Pinned! Yum 🙂
angie says
November 19, 2014 at 10:30 amlove this have made Italian shells with ground beef before but love to find new chicken recipes and the family loves pasta thanks for sharing come see what we shared at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Laura @ Over The Apple Tree says
November 20, 2014 at 12:24 pmI love stuffed shells! Never thought of doing them with chicken, I’ll definitely have to try these…pinned!
JessicaJ says
November 22, 2014 at 7:32 amYum! These look amazing. I always have homemade pesto on hand, I love finding recipes I can use it in!
Cindy says
December 6, 2014 at 6:33 pmHello! No idea where I happened on your recipe but made it for my Italian husband tonight – delicious! I think I may serve this at Christmas dinner when the kids come home :). Thanks!
Cindy