Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells (Printable)

Tender pasta shells filled with creamy pesto chicken and baked in zesty marinara sauce.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 jumbo pasta shells

→ Chicken Filling

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, finely shredded
03 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or nonfat)
04 - 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
05 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1 garlic clove, minced
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce and Topping

11 - 2 cups marinara sauce
12 - 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
03 - In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, Greek yogurt, pesto, Parmesan, mozzarella, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.
04 - Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
05 - Stuff each cooked shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling. Arrange shells open side up in the baking dish.
06 - Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
07 - Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
08 - Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden.
09 - Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil before serving if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort food but won't leave you feeling weighed down afterward.
  • The Greek yogurt keeps things creamy while the pesto sneaks in that restaurant-quality flavor without extra effort.
  • You can have dinner on the table in under an hour, which beats most takeout orders.
02 -
  • Don't overcook the pasta shells or they'll turn to mush when they hit the sauce and oven heat.
  • Mix your filling thoroughly so the yogurt is completely incorporated, otherwise you'll bite into pockets of sourness that don't belong there.
  • The foil is your friend for the first part of baking—it keeps everything from drying out, and uncovering at the end gives you that slight cheese browning.
03 -
  • Squeeze out any excess moisture from spinach if you add it, or it'll make your filling wet and heavy.
  • If your pesto is particularly salty, reduce the salt you add to the filling by half and taste before committing.
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