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Pizza Stuffed Shells Meal Prep | Busy Girl Bites

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