These easy Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells with Spinach are filled with tender cooked chicken, broccoli, and spinach mixed with a delicious homemade alfredo sauce and topped with a layer of melty cheese. This meal comes together incredibly quickly, making it ideal for busy weeknights - and your kids won't even know it contains hidden vegetables!
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These spinach stuffed shells are one of my favorite dinner recipes. I like to make this the next day after I cook Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts or Instant Pot Chicken Breasts.
This is the perfect casserole for a quick weeknight dinner, yet it looks and tastes fancy enough that you can serve it to dinner guests! Serve it with a garden salad for a complete meal!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy and Delicious - The combination of creamy homemade alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese makes this dish the perfect comfort food your whole family will love!
- Great for a crowd - It can be prepared in advance and placed in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Packed with flavor - The combination of creamy alfredo sauce, tender chicken, and melty cheese is delicious.
- Perfect Family Meal - With its combination of filling ingredients and cheesy flavors, this dish will satisfy even the pickiest eaters in your family!
Recipe Ingredients
You can easily find the ingredients to make this easy pasta recipe at your local grocery store.
Ingredient Notes:
- Flour. I used all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese. This adds fantastic flavor to the sauce, as well as thickens it up a bit.
- Shredded cooked chicken. I used leftover chicken and shredded it with a fork. However, to make this process very easy, use a rotisserie chicken.
- Jumbo pasta shells. I used an entire 12 ounce box of pasta shells.
- Broccoli. I used frozen broccoli - you can use fresh or frozen. Steam or bake it first, then chop it up.
- Spinach. I love spinach, so I used a full cup. It disappears quite quickly once it's heated up. Fresh spinach will give you the best flavor.
- Mozzarella cheese. Shred this cheese so you can sprinkle it on top before baking it in the oven.
See the printable recipe card for exact measurements and a full list of ingredients.
How To Make Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells with Spinach
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare shells according to package directions. Fill a large pot with 5 L of water and some salt and bring it to a boil. Boil shells for 14-16 minutes until al dente. Drain well in a colander and rinse under cold water. Place the shells on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, steam, roast (400 degrees F for 15 minutes), or make Air Fryer Broccoli. Cook until tender and pierces easily with a fork. You could also boil the broccoli on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until tender.
Step 3: Saute butter and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook for another minute Add heavy cream, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. The sauce will thicken quickly. Stir continuously with a whisk so it doesn't burn. When thickened, remove from heat and add ½ cup of parmesan cheese and ½ to 1 cup of chopped spinach.
Step 4: Add shredded chicken and cooked broccoli to a medium bowl with 1 cup of alfredo sauce. Mix to combine.
Step 5: Spoon a large scoop of alfredo sauce on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Fill each cooked pasta shell with a spoonful of chicken and broccoli mixture and place it on the baking dish.
Step 6: Spoon the remaining creamy sauce evenly over the top of the unbaked shells, and top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a simple green salad and garlic bread, Homemade Air Buns or Quick Homemade Biscuits With No Milk.
It also goes great with Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Greek Cucumber Salad, or Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad.
Substitutions and Variations
- Margarine. You could also use butter.
- Heavy cream. I used heavy cream, but you can use any cream between 18% to 30%.
- Milk. I used 1% milk, but you can use any milk of your choice.
- Spinach. Use frozen spinach instead; just squeeze well to remove water.
- Chicken. Use rotisserie chicken, Air Fryer Thin Chicken Breasts, Frozen Chicken Breasts in Air Fryer, Frozen Chicken Breast in Instant Pot, Boneless Skinless Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, or Pellet Smoked Chicken Breasts or Smoked Whole Chicken On Pellet Grill or leftover Pellet Smoked Whole Turkey or Traeger Spatchcocked Turkey.
- Cheese. You can also use your favorite blend of Italian cheeses.
- Alfredo sauce. Use store-bought or make Homemade Alfredo Sauce with Half-and-Half.
- Extra veggies. Add sautéed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian sausage, red peppers, or crispy bacon to the filling.
- Spicy. Add buffalo sauce to the filling or red pepper flakes.
Expert Tips
- Cooking the shells to al dente is key to ensuring they don't get too mushy.
- Use pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken to speed up prep time on busy nights.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the best flavor.
- Place the chicken mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut a hole in one of the corners, and pipe it into the shells.
- When stuffing the shells, don't overfill them, as they will overflow when baking.
Recipe FAQs
A box of jumbo shells contains approximately 46 shells.
Surprisingly, these stuffed shells are quite filling. I estimate about six shells per person and 7-8 for larger appetites. My family has huge appetites, and I had quite a few leftovers, which hardly ever happens.
Absolutely. Place shells on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze for two hours. Transfer the shells to a large freezer bag or place them in a container covered tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Place frozen shells in a casserole or baking dish. Cover and bake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated 350-degree F oven. If they were thawed in the fridge before baking, reduce oven time to 25-30 minutes.
Leftover shells can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, place the desired amount of leftovers on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, leftovers can also be reheated in the microwave or air fryer.
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Easy Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells With Spinach
Ingredients
For the alfredo sauce:
- 3 tablespoon margarine or butter
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream anywhere between 18% to 30%
- 1 cup 1% milk or milk of your choice
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Stuffing ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 1 12 oz box jumbo pasta shells
- 1½ cups broccoli fresh or frozen.
- ½ to 1 cup spinach chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells in a large pot of water according to package instructions. Cook for 14-16 minutes until al dente. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Place the shells on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to prevent them from sticking.
- While the shells are cooking, cook your broccoli until fork tender. Roast it at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, boil for 4 minutes, or air fry it. Chop it fine.
- Saute garlic in butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add heavy cream, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Stir continuously with a whisk. When thickened, remove from heat and add spinach and Parmesan cheese.
- Add shredded chicken and cooked broccoli to a medium bowl with 1 cup of alfredo sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add a large spoonful of alfredo sauce to cover the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each cooked pasta shell with a spoonful of chicken and broccoli mixture and place it in the baking dish.
- Spoon the remaining alfredo sauce evenly over the top of the stuffed pasta shells, cover the pasta shells with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Serve immediately.
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Notes
- Cooking the shells to al dente is key to ensuring they don't get too mushy.
- Use pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken to speed up prep time on busy nights.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for the best flavor.
- Place the stuffing mixture into a ziploc bag, cut a hole in one of the corners, and pipe the mixture into the shells.
- When stuffing the shells, don't overfill them, as they will overflow when baking.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andrea says
I've never had stuffed shells this way. It looks and sounds marvelous.
Beth says
This turned out fantastic and so delicious! The family absolutely loved these stuffed shells! Such a big hit here and I’ll definitely make these again.
Jen says
Thanks for the tip about freezing this. I made 2 batched at once, one for dinner and one to freeze for later. Such a great dinner!
Angela says
Wow! What show stopper! All of my favorites in one dish. This is easy to make and so delicious. The ultimate comfort food.
Julia says
This is such an easy and delicious dinner!