Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells (Fill the Freezer February)

Feb 10 | Recipes

First up in my Fill The Freezer February task, is these delicious Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells! (I sincerely hope my photography skills only improve with each meal I make…my apologies.) These are so delicious and are actually quite simple to put together! They were a hit with everyone in my family and I need to make another batch because I planned to make two for the freezer, but only one made it there! I served these with a caesar salad and some carrot sticks.

I also love my KitchenAid mixer so I try to do as much as I can with it in the kitchen and these proved that I can create the whole “stuffing” part with the mixer. Including shredding the chicken! That is a win in my books, especially when I’m working with a stiffer food thing. (Saves my wrists.)

These Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells could be quite versatile. I think they’d be great with spinach added, as much pesto as you’d like and I’m sure most variety of cheeses would be wonderful. You could even try adding a bit of tomato sauce.

Here’s how to make freezer friendly Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells:

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Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells

This recipe makes enough for two pans of stuffed shells that will feed about four people each.

Ingredients

• 1 box of jumbo pasta shells
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 2 cups fresh grated Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese + extra for topping
• 6 Tbsp prepared pesto homemade or store bought
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta shells only until al dente. (The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked.)
2. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the extra cheese for the topping.
4. Fill the pasta shells with the filling.
5. Freezing and Serving Directions
6. Place stuffed shells in an aluminum baking dish.
7. Sprinkle the extra cheese over shells.
8. Cover well.
9. To serve, defrost, then preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!