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Home » Dinner » Chicken » Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Created: September 9, 2016 Updated: November 16, 2020 by lyuba 4 Comments

21.9K shares
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This is what comfort food is all about! Pasta shells stuffed with a mixture of ricotta cheese and pesto chicken, baked in a simple white sauce, and topped with extra Mozzarella cheese.

top view of Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells with cheese melted on top in a yellow baking dish

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I’m still enjoying this beautiful weather we’ve been having. Opening the door to take little man to school in the morning has been heavenly. That gentle, cool air is just a pleasure, and riding with windows down is something I missed since last February.

I’m trying not to ruin it by reminding myself that this is Florida and there is no way that beautiful fall weather will be sticking around long in September, but I just love not having hot, sticky air punching me in the face the second I open the front door. July and August have been positively miserable, I’m so over it and that’s why I’ve been ecstatic at this nice change of weather. I just want to eat breakfast and dinner outside every day.

I didn’t forget about lunch, it just still gets a bit hot in the middle of the day. Definitely too soon for lunch outside. May be in a month or so. Who knows, may be we will actually have nice cool holidays this year. Not like last year, when we were having 90-degree weather in December.

 Cheesy scooping Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells with cheese melted on top out of a yellow baking dish with a metal serving spoon

I’ve mentioned it before, that all I want to do is to make comfort food every day to match the cooler weather. This weekend, I made these fabulous stuffed shells. My basil has finally decided to start growing like crazy so I’ve been swimming in pesto. Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells seemed like a perfect idea.

For a family holiday a few months ago, I made these lasagna roll-ups and I filled them with a mixture of ricotta cheese and pesto chicken. People loved it so much that I decided to make a similar recipe but with stuffed shells this weekend. We couldn’t get enough.

If you notice, I decided to keep ricotta and pesto chicken in separate layers. I feel like keeping them separate, instead of mixing them together before stuffing, keeps the nice fell flavors of each layer intact. Adding simple Béchamel sauce on the bottom adds a touch of creaminess to the whole dish.

 

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Cream colored baking pan with cheesy pesto chicken stuffed shells as viewd from slightly above and close up.

Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

Pasta shells stuffed with a mixture of ricotta cheese and pesto chicken, baked in a simple white sauce, and topped with extra Mozzarella cheese.
3.75 from 4 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Keyword: chicken, pasta, Pesto, Stuffed shells
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 20-22 jumbo pasta shells
  • Pesto chicken mixture:
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Italian cheese mix
  • Ricotta mixture:
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup Italian cheese mix
  • 1 garlic clove pressed
  • 5-6 basil leaves
  • Salt
  • Sauce:
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 3 Tbsp dry Parmesan cheese
  • Salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • Topping:
  • 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese
  • *Optional: fresh grated Parmesan cheese when serving

Instructions

  • Cook pasta shells al dente, drain and set aside. *Tip: I like to cook 2-3 extra shells just in case some get damaged as they cook. (So you can cook 25, just in case.)
  • Cook chicken in a pan, over medium heat, seasoned with some salt and pepper. Once chicken is done, take it out and let it cool enough to be handled. Once it's cooled, dice the chicken.
  • Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
  • In one mixing bowl, combine diced, cooked chicken, olive oil, Italian cheese mix and pesto. Mix very well and set side.
  • In another mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for ricotta mixture. Mix until all smooth and set aside.
  • In a sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until combined. Start adding milk slowly while still whisking so that the mixture is smooth. Add salt, pepper and dry Parmesan cheese. Bring sauce to simmer, stirring often.
  • Pour sauce all over the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
  • Stuff each shell with some ricotta mixture, filling them about 1/3 full, and then some pesto chicken mixture.
  • Nestle stuffed shells in the casserole dish, in the sauce, one right next to the other.
  • Spread mozzarella cheese over the top of stuffed shells.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes.
  • *You can grate some Parmesan cheese right over the cooked shells as you serve it.

Notes

Recipe from Lyuba @ willcookforsmiles.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

 Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells with cheese melted on top in a yellow baking dish

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 Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells with cheese melted on top in a yellow baking dish

 Cheesy scooping with a spoon some Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells with cheese melted on top in a yellow baking dish

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LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

21.9K shares

Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner, Pasta Tagged With: pesto, stuffed shells

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Stacey says

    June 16, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    What is the Italian cheese mix?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      June 20, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      Hi Stacey,

      An Italian cheese mix usually has Mozzarella, Provolone, Asiago, Parmesan & Romano cheeses. It comes in a bag and is located with all the other shredded cheeses at the grocery store.

      Reply
  2. cat lover says

    October 19, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    can store bought alfredo sauce be used?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      October 24, 2022 at 8:44 am

      If there is one you like then sure you can use that.

      Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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