Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells are a tried and true dinner that I love serving to company. The flavor is incredible with creamy chicken, spinach, and cheese. This makes not one, but two 9×13 casseroles.
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CHICKEN AND SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS
(originally posted 2010)
I ran twenty miles yesterday. Twenty. It’s the longest I will run before my marathon in a couple of weeks. It was hard. Really hard. I have no idea how I’m going to do 6.2 more miles for the marathon. 
Here’s the breakdown:
Mile 1-13: Feeling good.
Mile 14-17: Starts raining. Pouring. Great. Awesome.
Mile 16-18: Some 20 year old kid starts following me on a bike..going really slow because I’m…well…going really slow. He kept trying to make conversation as I kept trying to breathe.
“What’s with this rain?”
I gave a slightly annoyed, out of breath, “I don’t know.”
What I wanted to say was are you serious right now? Are you trying to get with this sweaty mess? Do you realize I’m in the middle of mile 17? He continued to follow me for another mile. I wasn’t scared because by this time I was in my development with tons of people walking around me. I was just irritated and baffled.
Finally I said, “Buddy. You GOTTA keep moving.”
Mile 19: I think I’m going to die and I have to use the restroom. Again.
Mile 20: Made it. Collapse in my cool air conditioned living room. Go take a shower. Almost throw up. Then whine to John about how much my body hurts.
So that was my weekend. How was yours?
You’re gonna love these Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells. This meal is great when you have to take dinner to someone because it makes two pans and freezes well. I made one for my family and one for a friend who just had a baby. John comes home with food from work sometimes and often brings bland stuffed shells for the kids. When he took a bite of these he said, “Wow. These have a ton of flavor.” Enough said. Sounds like a keeper to me.
CAN THESE BE FROZEN?
Yes. You can freeze this up to two months. Thaw in the fridge and bake as directed.
OTHER CHICKEN DISHES:
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
- Teriyaki Chicken
- One-Pan Creamy Chicken and Spinach
- Chicken Salad
- Baked Chicken Chimichangas
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
These Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells are a tried and true favorite that I love serving to company. The flavor is incredible and it makes a ton!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
- 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (If you like it saucier use more)
Instructions
- Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set shells out individually on a cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. *Tip: For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock baggie with the filling and snip a quarter size hole off the corner of the bag. Then you can just pipe the filling into the shells.
- Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.
- Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Makes 8-10 servings.
So delicious! I may substituting cooked italian sausage for the chicken sometime. Family loved it!
Yum! That would be great.
Fantastic recipe! My husband says this is his new favorite dish that ive made. He noticed the loveliness of the raw onion and we’re pretty sure that’s a big part of what makes this so great! Thank you!
I like it but I’m sure some people don’t love raw onion.
I was dreaming about stuffed shells last night! And I go and open my email and look at this delicious recipe… Can’t wait to make it! 🙂
This was worth the effort. I thought it was strange that you put raw onions right in the bowl!! Delicious!,,
Really good, right?
Just cooked this recipe. It is fantastic.
Thank you!
This recipe looks great. I was wondering if the filling is thick enough to be used for lasagna roll ups instead of stuffed shells?
Oh yes. It’s definitely on the thick side.
This is the first recipe my son requests when he comes home from college. 🙂 The rest of the family loves it too!!!
I love hearing that! It’s so good!
I love this recipie
I have calculated the Nutrition Facts for 30 shells so 10 servings of 3 Thought it may help some people
There are some low fat things note that
Recipe Nutrition Calculator
Recipe name
Number of servings
Serves people
Ingredients Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
Barilla – Jumbo Pasta Shells, 30 pieces (50g) 1,080 222 6 42 0 12 Ico_delete
Costco – Costco Rotisserie Chicken Breast, 16 oz 587 0 13 112 2,027 0 Ico_delete
Spinach – Chopped Frozen, 2 cup 70 8 1 6 160 0 Ico_delete
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped 64 15 0 2 6 7 Ico_delete
Garlic, raw, 2 clove(s) 9 2 0 0 1 0 Ico_delete
Sorrento – Low Fat Ricotta Cheese, 2 cup 400 32 16 48 560 32 Ico_delete
Cream Cheese – Low Fat – Philadelphia, 8 oz. (28 g) 1,120 16 96 32 1,920 16 Ico_delete
Cheese, parmesan, shredded, 5 oz(s) 588 5 39 54 2,404 1 Ico_delete
Eggs – Whole, raw, 1 medium 65 0 4 6 62 0 Ico_delete
Hunt’s Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce – Tomato Sauce, 1 container (630 grams (1/2 cup) ea.) 300 50 5 10 2,900 25 Ico_delete
Kraft – Shredded Low-moisture Part-skim Mozarella, 2 cup (28g) 640 4 36 56 1,360 0 Ico_delete
Add Ingredient
Total: 4,923 354 216 368 11,400 93
Per Serving: 492 35 22 37 1140 9
Thanks Jessica. That’s very helpful!
Hi can I make these the day before and just put them in the fridge?
Yes, absolutely! I do it all the time.
Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving. :0)
Hi! Making these today to take to a mom with a very sick child :(. If I freeze them is the cook time longer to account for being frozen?
I would just add about 10 minutes to make sure they’re cooked through.
Just made the shells. Think instructions are missing for carmelizing the onions, garlic and spinach. Used one tub of cream cheese and a reasonable amount of Parmesan not 5 oz (which is A LOT of Parmesan).
Looking forward to digging in!
Nope. They aren’t missing. They are meant to be added in raw. If you want to carmelize them, that would be good too.
I have a pan currently in my freezer that i am making for dinner. Do i need to let it thaw before cooking? Also, do i need to adjust the cooking time?
Ideally you would like it to thaw but I have cooked from frozen. You might need to add 10 minutes to the cooking time.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times now and it has become my go-to meal to bring moms after a new baby is born–so delicious and easy to prepare, and I love that it makes so much and is great even after being frozen and reheated, too! In case other readers are perusing the comments before making this, I’ll mention that I often leave the chicken out (it’s great with or without, but saves a little prep time if you skip it), I use just 1 package of cream cheese, which I think is plenty, and usually saute the onion a bit first before adding it (it comes out crunchy for me if I don’t). Thanks for such a yummy recipe!
Thanks for the tips Rachel. I agree about the onion part so maybe I will change that 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. You should write a book though, I love the way you write!
Sabrina,
You are so sweet. I’m sure if I wrote a book it would be a grammatical mess. I write like I talk. Which doesn’t always look great on paper.
These were amazing. My husband couldn’t stop raving about them. Even my 3yo and 18 month old loved it. I tried them with 1 cream cheese and they were perfect.
WOW!! Made these for dinner tonight!! They were amazing. I only used one package of cream cheese and they were perfect!! I’m pretty picky on my stuffed shells, my grandma was 100% Italian so I was raised on italian food. Will definitely make these again!!
I agree. Sometimes stuffed shells can be bland but these are not.
The marathon is a whole lot easier if you do the 20 mile run so you’re in good shape!
Tried these last weekend with my boyfriend & kids…Minus the chicken (added the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese & Italian parsley) so yummy!!! It was a hit & the kids ate leftovers the next day;)
Oh good Marina!
I made this tonight and got rave reviews from our bunco ladies! They were very tastey and best of all made me look like a wonderful chef and hostess! I will definitely be making these again for another event. Thanks for the receive!
Oh good. They’re kind of a lot of work but well worth it.
Thank you for this recipe it looks delicious. I’m making it tonight I hope my family like it.
The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it
can survive a thirty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation.
My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this
is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
Hi! I am new to your blog and am just loving everything on it! I read above that this recipe freezes well. Would you and the sauce before freezing or after it has thawed in the fridge before youvput it in the oven? Do you find the pasta shells get gummy or lose their texture from freezing? I could always freeze the ‘stuffing’ in after it’s been prepared and just thaw it when I need it. Would that work you think? Would I be able to freeze the Mexican pasta shell recipe as well? Sorry for all the questions! Keep up the amazing work! I can’t to see what you have ahead for all of us! Thanks, Alicia
I would add the sauce before freezing. At least that’s what I do. I didn’t notice that they were gummy at all. You can definitely freeze the Mexican shells as well. Good luck!
Sounds wonderful! Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I absolutely love your blog :). I hope you had a wonderful Monday 🙂
Hi, I just made these for dinner and they were AMAZING! I froze one pan like you suggested and am wondering when you take it out do you let it completely thaw in the fridge before baking it for 40 mins?
I don’t. I bake it directly from freezing and it’s great.
Good for you for completing 20 miles. I have been there…more than once….the last 6.2 miles for me have been a little trip into hell….
Hi, Christy – just wondered how you cook your chicken for this recipe? Thanks!
I usually cook chicken in batches in the crockpot so that I have it on hand. I cook it for 3-4 hours with a little water. Sometimes I boil the chicken for 20 minutes with some big chunks of onion and salt and pepper.
Some of the recipes don’t have the “save to recipe box” feature 🙁 but regardless this looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!!!
Yes, I have to manually add them all to Ziplist and with over 400 recipes, it’s taking some time!
Made the Taco Pasta last night and this tonight. Both dishes amazing!! I added a can of mushrooms to the stuffed shells and made one pan with alfredo sauce. Both a huge hit with my family. Its already been requested that I make them again very soon.
@Ariana,
Thanks! I had to go through all of my recipes and add instructions and ingredients for an upcoming functionality. I think I was a little tired when I changed them all.
I LOVE your blog, and congrats on running 20 whole miles.. I would have died!
I’m making this recipe today with my mom in preparation for a little baby hopefully coming the end of this month 🙂
I *did* want to mention one teeny thing, though… the “ingredients” section and “instructions” section titles are switched 😉
Since there were just two of us, I followed Allyson’s suggestion and halved everything. They were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Thanks so much for posting this delicious recipe!
For the recipe, I used one chicken breast and pretty much only needed half of everything. If you are cooking for two, half the recipe. You will have plenty to eat + leftovers.
Making this for Mother’s Day tonight! Since we’re all busy on Sunday, I decided to surprise my mom and this turned out to be something she wanted. Hoping I can make it perfectly!
Such a great recipe! I just made it for dinner and my fiance’s reaction was ” Woah! This is the first time you’ve made stuffed shells? They’re amazing!” Thanks for making me look good 🙂
These look great! I loved the running breakdown. I just did my first 20 mile run this week also. Way to go!
totally feel your pain…did 2 20s in the last few weeks and the marathon is in 2 weeks…i keep thinking how will i do more? we can do it though!
great recipe–i need to make this and freeze for our crazy schedules!
Thanks for the great recipe. We just had it last night for dinner. Super good. Thanks
thanks girl! i just won huge points with my home teachers and a couple of neighbors. stuffed shells for dinner and cupcakes topped with “the best frosting i’ve ever tasted!” for dessert…i’m a freaking hero!
I have a few friends that ran their first marathon in the spring and they said the marathon was easier than the 20 mile training run, so you’re good to go. Good for you with the accomplishment! I’m doing a 1/2 tomorrow, can’t imagine doubling that.
your shells looks great – great carb loading for pre-run!
Just throw-up on the kid next time and he will leave you alone, and you will feel better! J/k you will make it all 26.2 just keep running even if you are sick and tired and you find yourself running really slow, it will be over sooner and you will be so happy when its over, probably the happiest that you are done training, then you can just run the distance you like and don’t have to run so far!
Stuff Shells was the first meal I ever made my hubby when we were dating, but I always thought it was kinda bland, now that you have posted this watch out family the stuff shells are back in the weekly rotation..move over boring spaghetti Thanks for posting!
I just made these and I can’t wait to try them, they look delightful!
I am also trying to stock up my meals in the freezer and I am using a ton of space with foil pans, so I am flash freezing them and putting them in a baggie and then I can just prepare however many I want. I hope it works to my benefit, because I ended up with 60 filled shells, so it better work.
One of my friends just told me about your blog so I had to check it out. I’m at the same point in my marathon training too! My marathon is Oct. 9th. Good luck! And I’ll definately have to try that recipe, looks yummy.
20 miles?! You go girl!
It’s 20 miles from my house to my in-laws and that is a LOOONG way, I cannot even fathom running that. Congrats and best of luck!
OOh, and these look yummy!
you are my hero! That is so awesome…I struggle to run a 5k, so high five girlie!
Those look yummy! I am going to make them next week! Congrats on the running! 🙂
You made me laugh with your run break down!! lol The shells look and sound a*ma*zing!!!
way to go!!!! My girlfriend says that mile 17-22 are her hardest then for some reason she gets tons of energy at the end. maybe you’ll be the same!
Congratulations – what an accomplishment!
Your stuffed shells look delicious.
What the heck was with that kid? Geez, I would’ve been super irritated with him.
But on a positive note, those pasta shells look amazing! You weren’t exaggerating when you said they had a ton of flavor – can’t wait to try this!
Holy Cow! 20 miles! You are awesome. My dad likes to run marathons. And my sister runs in a lot of races. She lives in Jacksonville. Aren’t you in Florida? Any where close to Jacksonville? You could be running buddies. Me not so much. Not a big fan of running. But I did like that one of your ads on you blog was for Insanity. That is what I am doing. I am on week 8 and am so ready for it to be over. It really is insane. But I liked that I could look at all your yummy recipes and think about making them and then be reminded about Insanity. Good luck in your marathon. I think I will stick with Insanity and P90X.
way to go on your 20-miler! i wish i could tell you it’s easier during the actual marathon, but it’s not. but don’t forget the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment in finishing, or even just training, for something like that. it’s not for everyone and you’re doing great!
you need to take an ice bath right after those long runs. they are painful to get in but make your legs feel amazing.
and yum about the stuffed shells!
I now know what i’m going to make my roommates for dinner on Sunday! Thank you 🙂
I can’t believe you are a serious runner and make such delicious recipes.
Show-off. Just kidding. I ran a 5K this weekend and was really impressed with myself. 20 miles??! I can’t even imagine! You go girl. and thanks for the recipe!
WOW, that is all I have to say about this dish & your running
wow!! congratulations on your run, thats incredible! i can’t imagine running that far. those stuffed shells do look amazing.. I’m going to have to try them!
The shells look delicious! I wish I had some ready for dinner tonight.
Good Luck on the marathon!!
You poor thing! What a weekend. Way to go for running 20 miles, though–I don’t think I could run over 5! 🙂
These shells looks delicious! Definitely trying these out.