This pesto turkey stuffed shells recipe is lightened up with one of my favorite baked pasta tricks. They were an immediate hit with my whole family!
These ground turkey stuffed shells received the ultimate praise from my two teenaged boys. They wordlessly wolfed down the shells I served them, then immediately headed back to the kitchen to scoop another serving onto each of their plates. Success!
What makes these healthy stuffed shells special? Two things, really. The first is the secret ingredient, which I'll talk about in a moment and I use with abandon in baked pasta dishes, like my baked ziti.
The second is one of our go-to ingredients. Pesto. I swear it makes every pasta dish taste better and is likely the reason that my boys fell head over heels for this dinner!
After the success of these baked stuffed shells, I decided that jumbo pasta shells will now be a regular part of my pantry staples and I'll be clearing a space in the freezer to keep a frozen dish of shells on hand for those nights when I don't feel like cooking. For more ideas, check out my 30+ Healthy Pasta Recipes.
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
- PASTA SHELLS: Look for jumbo shells in the pasta section of your grocery store or online. If they're difficult to find, manicotti (large tubes) could be used instead.
- PESTO: Either store-bought or homemade basil pesto will do the trick.
- Ground turkey: I used lean (93%) ground turkey for this recipe, but extra lean could be used instead.
- COTTAGE CHEESE: This is the secret ingredient! Stuffed shells with cottage cheese is something I started preparing after my family's raves about our favorite baked ziti. My family won't eat cottage cheese on its own, but they far prefer it to ricotta cheese in baked pasta dishes. Puree low fat cottage cheese in the food processor until smooth.
- MARINARA SAUCE: Use either homemade marinara or your favorite store-bought variety.
- CHEESE: Many baked shell recipes use mozzarella, but I find that the cheesy filling and sprinkle of Parmesan on top produces just the right amount of cheesiness. (And this is coming from a die-hard cheese lover!)
How to make stuffed shells
Start by cooking jumbo pasta shells according to package directions. Take care not to overcook them - you don't want them to start falling apart when adding the stuffing. "Al dente" is perfect!
Run cold water over the cooked pasta shells to cool them down and stop them from sticking together.
Next up - the filling, which comes together in two easy steps. First, saute the onion and garlic, then add in the ground turkey and seasonings.
For the second step, place the cottage cheese in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer it to a bowl, stir in the pesto and combine with the turkey mixture.
I use a small spoon and my fingers to stuff the shells - about 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture per shell.
Smear some marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, arrange the shells in the dish, cover with additional marinara sauce and a bit of Parmesan cheese. Bake!
How long to bake stuffed shells
Once the baked shells are assembled and covered in a layer of marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, cover them with foil and pop them into the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Uncover, then bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Absolutely! Having a pan of pre-made frozen stuffed shells on hand is a great meal prep strategy.
Assemble the stuffed shells, place them in the baking dish, and cover with marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.
Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and heavy duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to bake the shells, you have two options. For both options, be sure to remove the plastic wrap, then re-cover with the foil.
- For the first option, defrost the baked shells in the refrigerator overnight. Bake according to the directions below.
- The other option is to bake straight from frozen. Bake the casserole for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the marinara sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the ground turkey can be substituted with lean ground beef, ground turkey or a plant-based ground meat alternative.
Serve stuffed shells with a simple green salad dressed with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette or try it with my family's favorite Apple Pecan Salad. Or opt for steamed veggies, such as steamed broccoli or steamed green beans.
Other skinny pasta recipes
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Pesto Turkey Stuffed Shells Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces jumbo stuffed shells
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound lean (93%) ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ cup (packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves
- 1 ½ cups low fat cottage cheese
- ¼ cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
- 2 ¼ cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over highheat. Salt generously. Add the pasta shells and cook according to packagedirections, until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground turkey to the skillet, and season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up turkey with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat.
- Place the cottage cheese in a food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Transfer the cottage cheese to a large bowl and stir in the pesto. Add the turkey mixture. Stir until combined with the pesto cottage cheese.
- Fill each shell with 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then spread ¾ cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish.
- Arrange the stuffed pasta shells, open side up, in the baking dish. Spread the remaining 1 ½ cup marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake until the marinara sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the Parmesan cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Linda Wright
I printed and pinned this recipe as soon as you posted it in April and finally remembered to buy the ingredients this weekend. I made it tonight, and it was DELICIOUS! Full disclosure- with 5 adults in the house right now, I made 25 shells, so we each have 5 shells plus a side veggie, so we did have a more generous serving size. I have never made stuffed shells of any kind before, and I can't imagine making any version other than this one. The pesto and turkey (in our case, ground chicken) were such a great addition! Thanks!
Christine
Could ricotta cheese be used instead of cottage cheese?
Dara
Yes, that would be fine.