Valentina Ablaev
This chicken alfredo stuffed shells recipe is one of our all-time favorite comfort meals! Large pasta shells are filled with a simple chicken ricotta filling, covered with a homemade white sauce, and baked to bubbly perfection. It’s an easy pasta dinner the entire family will enjoy.
Alfredo-anything is always a hit in my house, and although we love a classic fettuccine alfredo, I am always looking for new alfredo dishes to make for dinner. This chicken spinach alfredo stuffed shell recipe was an instant hit, not only with the kiddos but for the adults as well!
Why Make These Stuffed Shells?
These stuffed shells are a dinner favorite, not just because of how delicious they are but also because they are so easy to make! You would think it requires a lot of work, but it’s much easier than you would think!
Ingredients for Chicken Stuffed Shells
- Large shells – jumbo shells are the perfect large pasta that fits a large amount of filling.
Substitute: You can use manicaretti pasta instead of shells. - Alfredo sauce – our homemade easy alfredo sauce is the white sauce for this recipe. Substitute: You can also use jarred alfredo sauce for an easier option.
- Vegetables – we add mushrooms, onions, and spinach for an extra flavor.
- Chicken – ground chicken is the perfect protein for this recipe.
- Cheese – we love a mixture of ricotta and mozzarella cheese. The cheeses melt beautifully and have a good flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein: You can swap out chicken for ground turkey for a leaner protein! You can also use leftover shredded rotisserie chicken or even shredded chicken breast!
- Veggies: We love adding vegetables, but you can opt-out for a kid-friendly recipe! Or go in the opposite direction and do extra veggies! Add peppers, sauteed zucchini, and even broccoli florets!
- Cheese: You can use your favorite cheese in this recipe. Ricotta and mozzarella work great together, but you can also add parmesan or cheddar cheese!
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
- Boil pasta. Boil the shells to al dente, rinse off with cold water, and set aside.
2. Prep the veggies. Chop up the mushrooms, parsley, and onion.
3. Make alfredo sauce. Prepare one portion of homemade alfredo sauce and set aside.
4. Cook vegetables. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes on medium heat, stir in onions, and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Cook chicken. Add the ground chicken to the pan of vegetables and saute while breaking up into small pieces—season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
6. Make the filling. Add the meat mixture to a large bowl and mix in spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella.
7. Fill up the shells. Pour a layer of alfredo sauce to the bottom of a 9”x13” inch casserole dish. Take a large spoonful of the filling and add it to a shell. Continue with the rest of the shells.
8. Top with cheese. Top the casserole with loads of mozzerella cheese.
9. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes, covered in foil. Take the foil off and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese, serve, and enjoy!
Crockpot Stuffed Shells
These shells can also be cooked in the slow cooker! It’s the perfect way to start dinner early in the day and have it hot and ready for dinner!
Prepare per instructions. Assemble the shells into the slow cooker. Pro tip: Use a crockpot liner for easy cleanup. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until bubbling.
Expert Tips for Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells:
- Be generous with the filling. We recommend generously filling the shells to ensure you use the entire mixture. It also makes for a delicious bite!
- Don’t overcook the pasta. It is important that the pasta shells aren’t overcooked, or they will turn into mush in the oven: all dente is perfect!
Stuffed Shells FAQ’s
We use a 9”x13” casserole dish, but you can also divide this recipe into two 9”x9” dishes. Bake one of the dishes, and freeze the other for any easy meal in the future!
Large pasta shells can be found at most grocery stores! You can typically find them at most Walmarts but I’ve also surprisingly found them at stores like Home Goods and Tjmax!
In this recipe, we cook the pasta before filling. I think this is the easiest way to do it!
Our alfredo sauce recipe uses a heavy cream as the base. The recipe is simple and fool-proof. For full details, see our recipe for alfredo sauce from scratch.
How to Serve Stuffed Shells
We love to serve our stuffed pasta with a warm batch of garlic bread sticks, but of course you need some greens to lighten the meal! A light cabbage salad is the perfect addition to this cheesy meal.
Store Leftover Stuffed Shells & Freezing Tips
- Storage. Stuffed pasta shell leftovers reheat so well! Keep leftover pasta shells in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheat. Warm up the pasta shells in the microwave or on a pan to reheat. However, you can also bake them again for a crisp exterior! Add the shells into a small baking dis covered and bake at 350°F until warmed.
- Freeze. Store pasta shells for longer by freezing them. You can freeze them either unbaked, or baked.
Unbaked: Assemble the pasta shells in a freezer-safe dish or an aluminum pan and wrap tightly. Freeze and store for up to 3 months. Reheat: Add the pan to the oven at 375°F for 45 minutes covered and 7 minutes uncovered.
Baked: Make sure the pasta is cooled before freezing. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. Add to the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes.
More Alfredo Recipes
If you enjoyed this chicken stuffed shell recipe, be sure to try our other popular alfredo recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this chicken alfredo stuffed shell recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Easy Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 oz jumbo pasta shells cooked al dente
- 1 portion of alfredo sauce
- 16 oz white mushrooms chopped
- 2 Tbsp oil divided
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper or to taste
- ½ tsp ground paprika
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach lightly packed and cut
Instructions
- In a pot of salted water, boil the pasta shells. This recipe only needs 24 shells, but we recommend boiling the whole box in case some break or rip. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the water, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Prepare a portion of our homemade alfredo sauce.
- In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms with 2 tsp of oil for 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down, add chopped onion to the same pan with two more tsp of oil, and saute for three more minutes.
- Add the ground chicken to the pan with 2 tsp of oil and break up into pieces. Saute until fully cooked.
- Season with salt, pepper, and paprika; add minced garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Once the meat is cooled, add it to a large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, and spinach to the bowl.
- Coat the bottom of a 9×13” baking dish with a layer of alfredo sauce.
- Stuff a shell with the chicken filling and add to the baking dish.
- Repeat with the rest of the filling, tightly packing the shells alongside each other.
- Pour the Alfredo sauce over the shells and top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the pan with foil, and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Notes
- Use a lot of filling. Use up all of the meat mixture by filling the pasta shells generously. It’s okay if they are a little messy.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. It is important not to overcook the pasta shells; otherwise, they will be mushy.
- Storage. Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheat. Warm up the leftover pasta shells in the microwave or on a pan. You can also bake the shells in the oven. Add the shells into a smaller dish and bake at 350°F until warm.
- Freeze. Store pasta shells in the freezer for longer. This can be done unbaked or baked.
- Unbaked: To store the shells unbaked, simply assemble the pasta shells in an aluminum pan and wrap them tightly with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat: Bake the pan in the oven at 375°F for 45 minutes covered and 7 minutes uncovered.
- Baked: Make sure the pasta is cooled completely before freezing. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. Add to the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes.
