Pizza Stuffed Shells

Pizza. AND. Pasta.  While that double trouble combo sinks in, feast your eyes on these babies 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 which are basically all the good parts of lasagna, pizza, and pasta all perfectly contained within a stuffed shell so that each bite is a *perfect* combo of cheesy, savory, pizza flavors.

Seriously, could there be ANY better comfort food than taking cheesy delicious pizza toppings, and stuffing them into a noodle?!  These were made for Drew to eat on nights that I get dinner at work, so I loaded it up with his faves.  This filling has ricotta and mozzarella cheese, Italian sausage, mini pepperonis, spinach, and green peppers, but can easily be modified to however you like your pizza.  Meat lovers?  Go for it!  Veggie lovers?  My people!  

Taking a bite of these stuffed shells is like falling into a soft pillow of ricotta cheese, and then once the pizza flavors explode, it’s game over.  Comfort food at it’s finest, y’all.  

The best thing about meal prepping these is that you can make extra filling and use it in my spaghetti squash pizzas.  Recipe coming soon!  It’s basically like double duty meal prep.  Both recipes are super freezer friendly, which is top priority for me during this busy time of year.  After thawing, just reheat with a little extra pizza sauce and sprinkle with parm and Italian herbs for a delicious finish.  All these pictures were taken post-freezing – I promise that using the freezer does not mean compromising on taste, flavor, or texture!

What are your favorite pizza toppings?  Let me know in the comments below!  If you try this recipe, please leave a rating and tag me on Instagram @busygirl_bites so I can see the results!

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Pizza Stuffed Shells

Pizza and pasta, the best of both worlds combined!  Freezer and meal prep friendly, and easily modified to vegetarian.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Author Sam @ Busy Girl Bites

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup pepperoni (I used minis)
• 1 green bell pepper , diced
• 16 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese , divided
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 box jumbo shells (or other "stuff-able" pasta shape!)
• 16 oz jar pizza sauce
• Optional: favorite pizza toppings like fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make Filling

1. Cook Italian sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up into small pieces, until browned and cooked through.  Drain fat and pat dry with paper towel.

2. Stir together cooked sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add ricotta cheese and stir to combine.  

3. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to make shells.

Make Shells

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, less 1-2 minutes.  Add a drop of olive oil to the boiling water to prevent sticky noodles.

2. Drain pasta and let cool until safe to touch.

3. Prepare pan:  line a casserole dish or 9x13 pan with foil.  Spread ~1/2 of the pizza sauce along the bottom of the pan.

4. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of filling into each shell and place into the pan.

5. Cover with remaining pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.

To Freeze:

1. Let prepared shells cool, then transfer to meal prep container or ziplock bag.  Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight, then transfer to freezer.

To Serve:

1. Thaw overnight.  Reheat in microwave or oven (350°F for ~15 minutes should do it).  Garnish with your favorite pizza toppings, like parmesan, fresh basil, or red pepper flakes.

Recipe Notes

To make this recipe vegetarian, leave out the pepperoni and sausage and sub in mushrooms.

To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free pasta shells.

Extra filling can be frozen for later use!

 

Adapted from The Chunky Chef