Easy Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
This chicken alfredo stuffed shells recipe is the best comfort meal! Large pasta shells are loaded with a chicken and veggie filling and covered with homemade alfredo sauce. Each bite of the shells is warm, cozy, and nostalgic.
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 9x13” 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.