Cheesy Chicken Spinach Stuffed Shells
I’ve been in such a cooking mood lately. I think the cooking drought has passed, yeah I know I’ve been saying that in every post but seriously this time. Last night I made no-bake chocolate cookies with Isaac and today I made these super delish & cheesy chicken and spinach stuffed shells for lunch.
It was a welcomed change from my usual Italian stuffed shells and my Mexican stuffed shells. I’ll be adding these spinach and chicken stuffed shells to the rotation. Paired with a green salad and breadsticks it made me one happy chick.
Chicken and spinach are a classic combo and combined with 4 yummy kinds of cheese (ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan) and herbs make them Muy Bueno!! You may have some of the chicken mixture left over (depending on how many of your shells survive the boil) You can freeze any leftover mixture if you’d like.
Watch me make these cheesy chicken and spinach stuffed shells from start to finish!
Get the Recipe: Chicken Spinach Stuffed Shells- 4 Cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 large bone-in chicken breasts
- 15 oz box uncooked jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups fresh spinach, diced
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
- salt & pepper
- 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce, I use Tomato Basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Sprinkle chicken breast generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes or until done.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a few pinches of salt and the pasta shells.
- Boil just until ABOUT al dente (about 12 minutes)
- When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cool water.
- Place the pasta shells on a tray & pick out the good ones. Not all the shells will survive the boiling process intact. Set aside.
- When chicken is done let cool and dice 2 cups worth of chicken. Set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together diced chicken, diced spinach, diced onion and minced garlic.
- In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, & mayo.
- Add parsley and italian seasoning.
- Stir in the egg.
- Fold in 1 cup mozzerella cheese.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add cheese mixture to chicken mixture, stirring until well combined.
- Spread half of the spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- Stuff the shells with the chicken mixture and place into the dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over center of shells.
- Cover and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove from oven, top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for another 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Let cool slightly.
- Serve with salad and breadsticks!
Notes
Feel free to add in extras! Diced red peppers anyone?
Using a mixture of mozz. and cheddar cheese tastes great as well!
The dish freezes amazingly well!
This meal was super delicious. I made it for dinner and had to make sure that I left the onions out (my son is allergic). I substituted onion powder on the chicken while baking it and added red bell pepper. Can you say fantastic?! It was more than delicious. The family loved it and have requested a bigger portion next time around. 🙂
I made this for my family and OMG they loved every bit. I will say that it tastes even better the next day. The next day, the spices and juices sink in and can enjoy more tastiness!!
Just did this recipe and it is in the oven smelling so good:) I’ll post later how they come out.
The Cheesy Pasta Shells came out so good. I forwarded this website to my sister so she can make them.
This was so good and always made with simple ingredients that can be found at home!! Love it!
This was a hit at a gathering my congregation had, and I had to share the website this dish was so delicious… Woo!
I made is recipe the other day and as always it was BOMB! I made a few adjustments though. I bought the 12 oz box of jumbo noodles (by mistake) but it ended up being perfect and I had plenty left over. I also only used one chicken breast because it had a lot of meat on it. When I got done mixing and stuffing everything I filled my 9×13 pan and had enough mixture to fill 4 more shells. My boo raved about it and gave me the big head like I can really throw down!