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Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells is perfect for your next dinner! Tender shells stuffed with chicken, spinach and ricotta cheese then topped with an easy and quick homemade garlic sauce and finished with a topping of mozzarella cheese!
My oldest had been begging me to make a chicken and spinach dish, so to get her to finally be quiet, I obliged. Thank goodness I did, because this recipe was out of this world! It was so flavorful and delicious. The title may sound intimidating, but it really is an easy dish to make. Just needs a few extra steps to bring it all together. The oldest cheerfully approved this Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells recipe and kept saying over and over, "This is very yummy!". Those little moments are what makes cooking so much fun and rewarding for me. Food really has a way of making people feel better and bringing people together.
Note... I am an amateur food photo taker (still and always learning)... and these images do not do this dish justice!
What is Needed for Chicken & Spinach Stuffed Shells
- 12 oz box jumbo pasta shells, cooked to just al dente
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
How to Make Stuffed Shells
Making these stuffed shells is pretty simple. Let's get to it!
First, let's preheat the oven to 375°. Then we are going to make the filling for the shells. In a large bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, drained spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, oregano and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Once the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff them with a heaping tablespoon of the chicken filling. Place the shells in a 9x13 baking dish. I place them filling side up and at an angle so the shells will all fit. I filled the dish with 6 shells across and 6 shells down. Set this dish aside to make the sauce.
To make the garlic sauce, melt the butter in a skillet and then add the garlic. Saute the garlic until really fragrant. Next, sprinkle with flour and whisk it in with the butter and garlic, let cook a minute or two. Doing this allows the raw flour flavor to cook out. Now, slowly add the heavy cream while whisking at the same time. Once the cream is completely whisked in, bring the sauce to a low boil and them reduce the heat to low and simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Finally, pour the sauce evenly over the shells and then top with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Finish the dish by baking for 30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Dig in and enjoy this, according to Bailee, "very yummy" chicken and spinach dish!
Here are some more pasta dishes you might enjoy!
Baked Rigatoni Casserole
Chicken and Noodles
Classic Spaghetti Carbonara
Instant Pot Mac N Cheese
Baked Penne Casserole
Taco Pasta Skillet
Give this Chicken & Spinach Stuffed Shells recipe a try for your next dinner and let me know how you like it in the comments below! Pictures encouraged on Instagram with the hashtag #heathershomemadekitchen You can also follow me on Social Media to see what other crazy things my family and I are doing! If you like what you see, please share with your friends and family!
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Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 oz box jumbo shells, cooked just to al dente
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Cook shells according to package directions and let cool enough to handle.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, spinach, ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning, oregano and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Once the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff the shells with a heaping tablespoon of the chicken filling and place the shells, filling side up, in a 9x13 dish. 6 shells across and 6 shells down.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, then add the garlic and saute until the garlic is really fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it together, let the flour cook 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the cream while whisking the entire time. Bring the sauce to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low and let simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in the Parmesan cheese until completely melted. Remove sauce from heat and evenly pour the sauce over the shells.
- Top the shells with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is completely melted and starting to brown.
VERONICA SEDILLE says
can i freeze it to make ahead?
Heather says
Yes! Assemble it all and then cover and freeze. Thaw overnight and bake covered for half the time and then uncovered the remaining time or until golden and bubbly.