Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells (Printable)

Pasta shells filled with chicken, spinach, and creamy cheeses, baked in a rich Alfredo sauce for a hearty dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 20 jumbo pasta shells

→ Filling

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or finely chopped
03 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
04 - 1 cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped (approx. 5 oz fresh or 1/2 package frozen)
05 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
06 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Sauce and Topping

12 - 2 cups Alfredo sauce (homemade or store-bought)
13 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
14 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
15 - Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil jumbo pasta shells in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and spread shells on a baking sheet to cool.
03 - In a large bowl, mix chicken, ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper until fully integrated.
04 - Fill each cooked shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the prepared mixture.
05 - Spread 1 cup Alfredo sauce evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer over the sauce.
06 - Pour remaining Alfredo sauce over shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
07 - Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
08 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
09 - Allow to rest for 5 minutes before garnishing with fresh parsley and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feels fancy enough to impress guests but honestly doesn't require much skill, just a little patience.
  • You can prep the filling while the pasta cooks, so the whole assembly happens faster than you'd expect.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have settled together.
02 -
  • If your spinach still has water in it, the filling becomes watery and the whole thing tastes flat no matter what else you do, so take the squeezing seriously.
  • Don't skip the cooling step for the shells or you'll spend ten minutes fighting to fill torn pasta, which is frustrating and honestly not worth saving five minutes.
  • Alfredo sauce continues thickening as it cools, so if yours looks a little loose when you pour it, that's actually perfect and will set to the right consistency during baking.
03 -
  • Use a piping bag for the filling if you want to look like you knew what you were doing the whole time, but honestly a spoon is faster and the slightly rough look is charming.
  • Make extra filling and freeze it in portions so next time you only have to cook pasta and bake, turning a one-hour meal into thirty minutes.

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