Pesto Lasagna Stuffed Shells (Printer-friendly)

Tender pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, pesto chicken, and marinara, baked until bubbly and golden.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 20 jumbo pasta shells

→ Filling

02 - 1.5 cups ricotta cheese
03 - 0.75 cup grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
06 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
07 - 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
08 - 0.5 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

→ Pesto Chicken

09 - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
10 - 0.33 cup basil pesto

→ Assembly and Baking

11 - 2 cups marinara sauce
12 - 0.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
13 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking oil or butter.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add jumbo pasta shells and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain in a strainer and allow to cool slightly.
03 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, 1 cup mozzarella, salt, black pepper, and Italian herbs. Mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - In a separate mixing bowl, toss cooked chicken breast with basil pesto until evenly coated throughout.
05 - Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
06 - Fill each cooled pasta shell with approximately 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture, then top with a spoonful of pesto chicken. Arrange filled shells in a single layer in the baking dish.
07 - Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle 0.5 cup mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
08 - Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil from baking dish and return to oven. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
10 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks impressive enough to serve at dinner parties but comes together in about an hour, which means you're not stuck in the kitchen all evening.
  • The pesto chicken gives classic baked pasta a fresh, unexpected flavor that keeps it from feeling heavy or monotonous.
02 -
  • Don't cook your pasta shells all the way to soft, because they continue cooking in the oven and will turn mushy if you're not careful about the initial boiling time.
  • The egg in the ricotta filling is essential, and that's something I learned by accident when I made a batch without it and ended up with filling that was too loose and separated during baking.
03 -
  • If your pesto has nuts and you need to avoid them, just pick a nut-free version from the store, because there's no point in stressing about ingredients when good alternatives exist.
  • Make sure your ricotta mixture is actually smooth before you start stuffing, because lumpy filling won't distribute evenly through the shells and you'll get uneven pockets of texture.
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