I love pizza. My family loves pizza. We also love pasta. Therefore my family and I love pizza stuffed shells! These shells are scrumptious. Chicken (or turkey) italian sausage and turkey pepperoni give this dish all the satisfaction of pizza and cheesy baked pasta without being too greasy. I also add green pepper, because that is how we like our pizza. You can improvise here – add black olives or mushrooms – however you like your pizza!
These shells are the perfect make-ahead meal. Pull the recipe together one day, bake another. Serve with a salad for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Start by cooking the jumbo shells. This dish bakes in the oven, so the pasta can be slightly undercooked.
While the pasta cooks, make the filling. Remove the casing from the sausage and cut the sausage into a small dice. (I used cooked chicken sausage. If you use uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, then crumble, brown, and drain the sausage before adding it to the filling.) Cut the pepperoni slices into quarters. I had some mini-pepperoni in my fridge, so I used that also.
Dice the green bell pepper. Add the sausage, pepperoni and green pepper to a large mixing bowl. Pour in some marinara sauce. Toss in some shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
Pour some marinara in the bottom of a baking dish. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, stuff each shell with the filling and place in the baking dish. Pour additional sauce over the top of the shells and sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate or bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve with a salad and enjoy!
Pizza Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo shells
- 4 cooked chicken or turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 3 ounces turkey pepperoni
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper
- 1 24 ounces jar marinara sauce, divided
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Cook the pasta shells until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Dice the chicken/turkey sausage and the pepperoni. Dice the green bell pepper. Add meat and pepper to a mixing bowl.
- Add 1/2 jar of the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese to the bowl. Stir to combine.
- Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, fill each pasta shell with filling. Place in a baking dish. Cover the shells with the remaining marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
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