What a versatile dish. Whoever ‘invented’ pasta shells had a heart for pasta like myself. And a brain for creativity in the kitchen. And if you have no creativity, or a knack for being in the kitchen..
Bless your little heart. 
No harm done- just leave it to me (and the other baagillion food bloggers of interent land) to provide you with recipes, steps, and the occasional pictures to along with.
Think for a second. You could change the cheese, the seasonings, the meat, the veg- and go for an entirely different shuffed pasta. How about a Cajun stuffed shell? Shrimp, creole seasoning, bell peppers (red & green), red onion, tomatoes, celery, parsley, cheddar cheese.. top it off with a creamy white wine sauce.
OR- Mexican inspired? Ground beef, bell pepper, yellow onion, cream cheese, Mexican blend cheese, enchilada sauce, cilantro, smoked paprika, chili powder, spinach, CHIPOTLE sauce..? Endless I tell you, endless!
But, this version is classic Italian. You could take the short cut with a jarred pasta sauce, but run the risk of missing out on the twang of the banana peppers simmered into the sauce. Not to mention the sodium would be jacked sky high. Besides, whats the big trouble of dumping a few cans of tomatoes and some dried seasonings and letting it simmer while you mix your filling and stuff your shells. Semi-homemade sauce at it’s best, people.
What you get out of that steamy oven is cheesy and rich. Not to mention heart healthy and protein packed. Even if you skip the chicken sausage all together you’ll still get an excellent amound of protein from a few things: leafy green spinach, cheese… glorious CHEESE, pasta shells. 20 grams of protein (sans the meat) is perfectly veggie friendly.
I love these versatile dishes. You want to know what else I love? I love the little crispy brown bits of cheese and sindged spinach leaves poking out of my curled shells. Hopefully your weird thing with food isn’t texture.
Go ahead, get your stuffed shell on.
Print
Chicken Sausage Stuffed Shells with Artichoke & Spinach
- Total Time: 1 hours 0 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
Description
You can pretty much be safe in stuffing whatever you please into these shells and still get a successful meal out of it.
Ingredients
- 3 (4-oz / 115 g) links chicken sausage, casings removed
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped pepperoncini peppers
- 1 (28-oz / 795 g) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8-oz / 225 g) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 cup (4 oz / 115 g) provolone cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 cup (4 oz / 115 g) crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup (4 oz / 115 g) fat-free cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (9-oz / 255 g) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
- 1/2 (10-oz / 285 g) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 20 cooked jumbo shell pasta (about 8 oz / 225 g uncooked pasta)
Instructions
- Heat a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.
- Add sausage and cook, crumbling until no longer pink.
- Remove from pan and keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Cook pasta shells according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine Italian seasoning and next 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat; cook 12 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat; set aside.
- Combine 1/2 cup provolone and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl.
- Add cooked chicken sausage, and mix to combine.
- Spoon about 2 1/2 tbsp sausage-cheese mixture into each pasta shell; place stuffed shells in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
- Spoon tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup provolone.
- Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 stuffed shells
- Calories: 448
- Fat: 15.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.5 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 28 g
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake
- Chicken Khao Soi: Curry Noodle Soup
- Crispy Chicken Thighs in Blueberry Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Why make the tomato sauce from scratch rather than using jarred pasta sauce?
The author warns that jarred sauce would mean missing out on the flavor of banana peppers simmered directly into the sauce — and the sodium would be “jacked sky high.” The semi-homemade sauce uses fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, no-salt-added tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini, and only needs 12 minutes to thicken.
How should I drain the spinach to keep the filling from getting watery?
The recipe calls for frozen chopped spinach that is thawed, drained, and squeezed dry before mixing into the filling. Skipping the squeezing step will release excess water into the cheese mixture, making the stuffed shells soggy.
Can I change the fillings to make a different style of stuffed shell?
Absolutely — the author specifically says you can change the cheese, seasonings, meat, and vegetables for an entirely different result. She suggests examples like a Cajun version (shrimp, creole seasoning, bell peppers, cheddar) or a Mexican-inspired version (ground beef, enchilada sauce, chipotle). The pasta shell quantity and bake time (375°F for 25 minutes) remain the same.
