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Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells. Dinner = planned.
So I’ve been sitting here, on my kitchen floor, right up against the stove (because it’s so warm and cozy), staring at my computer screen for the last twenty minutes just kind of twiddling my thumbs about how to start this post and what exactly to chat with you all about. Sure, I want to tell you guys all about these delicious, cheese filled pasta shells, but it’s just been one of those long days and my brain feels fried. There’s also so much I have to share outside of this recipe that I am not even sure where to begin.
Basically what I am trying to say is that my thought process is all over the place. I have a ton to say, but I’m not sure how to write down the proper words to express my thoughts. Does that make any sense? Probably not, but you sort of get it, right?
Good news is that I’ve now gotten the hardest part about writing the day’s post done…I started it!
Whoop! Whoop!
Alright, so now that I explained where my head is at, I’m feeling like I can dive into the post for real and tell you guys about these cheese filled pasta shells!
Believe it or not, this is my first jumbo pasta shell recipe. For the longest time, I had two boxes of jumbo pasta shells sitting on my pantry shelves, but every time I’d go to use them, the long cut pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, bucatini) would stare me down, and somehow seem like a better fit for whatever recipe I was creating. To be fair, I am a long cut pasta person all the way. It’s just what I know and love. But, there is a time and place for shells…especially shells that are filled with cheese!
This past week I finally bit the bullet and decided to make stuffed shells. I got home from hiking one day and was just in the mood to create a baked pasta dish. When I saw the shells, I knew cheese filled shells were in my future. I had a ton of ricotta, fresh basil, and a pound of spicy Italian sausage in my fridge, so the recipe was pretty much set.
I made a quick ragu style sauce with the spicy sausage, then stirred together some homemade basil pesto with a container of ricotta, stuffed it all inside my jumbo pasta shells, and put it all together. Then into the oven it went (with a little more cheese on top…of course), and thirty minutes later, I had this yummy dinner ready to go.
And guys? It. Is. GOOD!
Think of this dish kind of like a manicotti, but in shell form, and probably a little easier to make than manicotti too. For the sauce, I love using a spicy sausage to add flavor without having to cook the sauce all day long. I also use a little vodka in the sauce to give it an extra kick. Plus, I just love all vodka style Italian sauces.
The ricotta filling though? That’s the best part. If you guys haven’t noticed, I love basil pesto, so anytime I have extra basil on hand, I make pesto and then use the pesto in all kinds of recipes (hello to this lobster with polenta and pesto and this pesto pasta bolognese). It’s one of my favorite ingredients.
I stirred the pesto into the ricotta to add plenty of basil flavor. It’s seriously the best, and I love the pesto cheese combo with the spicy red sauce.
Perfect dinner to entertain with this holiday season. You can prepare the dish in advance, keep it fully assembled in the fridge, and then bake before serving. Love dishes like this for holiday entertaining…they make life so easy!
Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1163 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
- 2 (28 ounce) cans san marzano tomatoes
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound jumbo shells
- 16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups shredded provolone or fontina cheese
- 3/4 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 8 ounces mozzarella, torn
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, vodka, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions.4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, provolone, and 1/2 cup pesto. Transfer the mix to a gallon size zip top bag and snip about a 1/2 inch off of one corner of the bag. 5. To assemble, spoon 3/4 of the red sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one pasta shell at a time, pipe about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each shell, placing the filled shell into the baking dish as you go. Spoon the remaining red sauce over top of the shells and then drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup pesto evenly over everything. Add the mozzarella. 6. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh basil. Enjoy!
PS. the red and green color combo? Yes, I did that on purpose, and yes, I love it…so festive!
There I s no way I can come up with the particular caned tomatoes called for what else could I use ?
I realize this is an old recipe of yours, but I recently tried it
and wanted to thank you. My picky three year old loved it so much even after 3 days eating leftovers, he asked for more jumbos ( aka jumbo pasta shells)
I am so glad you loved this Agne! Thank you!
Made this dish last night (along with the Tuscon soup) just omitted the sausage for a Kisher option and my family could stop eating it! Absolutely delish!
That is awesome! Thank you!
When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. Omg did it deliver. SO GOOD! I could eat these forever. New staple in my house. Thank you!
Ah that is amazing! Thank you so much Jenny!
Hi! 2 questions! 1: Do you use fresh mozzarella or the hard mozzarella? 2: If I made this the night before and cooked the following evening would that be OK?
HI! I use hard mozzarella for this recipe. Yes, you can make the night before and cook the next night. That works great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Beautiful and delicious!! Made for a weekend Valentine’s dinner and it was perfect. Love the addition of the pesto. Yum!! Thank you ❤
Awh that is so great! I hope the dinner was amazing, Barb! Thank you!
This turned out so great i cannot wait to make it again!
Thank you! I hope you love this Ginger!
Are the canned San Marzano tomatoes whole and peeled or crushed or diced? Thanks!
I use whole, peeled and then crush with my hands. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
My family LOVED these! Thank you! My daughter asked if I could add these to our regular recipe rotation because she loves them so much, and my other kids agreed.
(Also, thanks for the tip on stuffing using a gallon-sized bag. I’ve stuffed shells before with a spoon and it was SO much easier the way you suggested.)
-Stacy
That is so amazing!! Thank you Stacy!
YUM! This is in the oven as I type. Super excited to eat this tonight! Pretty sure my family will be raving about it. I’m not a fan of vodka so I left that out but did everything else as the recipe stated. It looks AMAZING.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Stacy!
This was very tasty but turned out with a lot of liquid. Followed the instructions. Should I have drained the tomatoes?
HI! I don’t drain my tomatoes, but it is possible your tomatoes contained more liquid than mine. Next time you can drain the tomatoes before adding to the dish or just drain off any extra liquid before serving. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I made this last night and everyone raved about it! It was delicious! Thank you so much. Do you know if this would hold up for a good freezer meal if I packaged it up before baking it? And if so, how long it might need to bake if frozen?
So happy everyone loved this!! Yes, I think this would be a great freezer meal!! It should be able to be kept frozen for 3-4 months. Please let me know if you have other questions. Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Do I need the vodka? Can I substitute for something else?
The vodka helps to deepen the flavor of the sauce and I do recommend using if you can. That said, water or chicken broth can also be used. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Hey, just curious bc these look delicious, but do you place the shells in order and all or just kinda toss them haphazardly and pour sauce on? I always line mine up and then cant fit them all in just one baking dish, but if I can do it this way I def will!!
HI! I line then up, then just place any extra shells on top of the rows, then add sauce. it does not need to be perfect by any means! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays ? 🙂
Could you other kinds of pastas and pestos for this? Like a whole wheat pasta?
Sure! Feel free to switch it up. I am sure any pasta/pesto would be great as long as you love the flavors you use. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays ? 🙂
Thank you TIeghan for a most inspiring post! I enjoy making my own pasta, so you inspired me to use your pesto/cheese filling, meat sauce. I made sort of a manicotti. I laid out the ribbon of pasta, put a couple tablespoons of cheese, and roll them up! I sauced them in a casserole and baked…more cheese on top! Oh yeah!! Winner dinner! Thank you!
Sounds so yummy! I am really glad you enjoyed this! Thank you!!