Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake: Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce

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Turkey and Ricotta Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce is a delicious and transformational leftover turkey pasta bake idea. Only 15 minutes prep time and 1 hour total time. Make and eat or even freeze for later – that’s what I call an easy dinner!

These Turkey and Ricotta Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce are so easy to make and a great way to repurpose and transform leftover Turkey or Chicken.  The Shredded Turkey combined with Italian seasonings, mozzarella, and ricotta is creamy and cheesy and delicious.  Stuffed in shells and topped with a simple tomato sauce and more melty mozzarella and nutty parmesan, it’s a perfect main dish that the family will love!

Make and eat or even freeze for later! Not only is it a leftover turkey recipe, it’s also a make-ahead-for-next-month-recipe. That’s what I call an easy dinner!

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Save Time and Money with a Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake

I’m always looking to find easy ways to prepare dinner.  And what’s easier than preparing a bunch of roasted chicken breasts or using leftover turkey and then using it in a variety of easy and different dinners.  The trick is making sure that the flavors are different and exciting.  These Stuffed Ricotta Shells are perfect for doing just that!

This dish is also a fantastic way to use leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas!  Simply shred the leftover meat, add it to the stuffing, and that’s it! It’s one delicious turkey casserole.

If you like this leftover idea, then you can also check out my White Enchilada Casserole with Chicken & Veggies as it’s another great casserole for using leftovers!

Easy Ingredients for these Turkey and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Fridge and Freezer Ingredients

• Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Shredded, Cooked Turkey or Chicken
• Minced Garlic
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Pantry Ingredients

• Jumbo Pasta Shells, uncooked
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
  

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Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Leftover Turkey Stuffed Shells

For this recipe, there is very little that you need to prep ahead, unless you are preparing the entire casserole and baking it later.  So, the ‘Prep-Ahead’ assumes you are assembling the entire stuffed shells casserole. If you are immediately cooking, the instructions are to simply move it right into the oven.

For this recipe, the intent is to use either leftovers, a store bought rotisserie chicken, or use chicken that you have roasted ahead for several meals.

So, the first step is to prepare the already cooked turkey or chicken by shredding it using either your fingers (I think the easiest way) or using 2 forks.

In a large mixing bowl, add all Filling ingredients except the shredded turkey and combine together.  Once mixed thoroughly, add the turkey and fold in.

Cook the Jumbo Pasta Shells to al dente (not fully cooked). The shells will finish cooking in the oven.  When the shells are done boiling, strain them and run cool water over them to stop the cooking.

To a 9×11 Casserole Dish (3 Quart Dish) add a small amount of the tomato sauce from the whole tomatoes, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread the sauce around. Sprinkle a pinch of Italian Seasoning all over.

Make the Tomato Sauce by emptying the whole tomatoes and remaining tomato sauce into a bowl. Crush the whole tomatoes using a fork or just your hands/fingers. Add 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper.

Stuff each of the pasta shells with some of the Turkey Ricotta filling. You want to try to get 15-16 shells stuffed (you probably will not have dish space or filling for more than this), so do not over-stuff, as you can always go back and add more stuffing. Also, I like to stuff first, then layer into the dish. It’s easier to go back and re-stuff before adding to the sauce.

Once you have them all stuffed, start layering them in row by row starting with the short end of the dish and going across.

Pour the tomato sauce over the shells, then sprinkle half of the Parmesan Cheese on top evenly. Next sprinkle cup shredded Mozzarella cheese evenly over top and the remaining parmesan cheese on top of that.

Cooking your Leftover Turkey Stuffed Shells Pasta Bake

Preheat oven to 350 F degree.

Cover the baking dish with an oven-safe cover or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and golden brown. Remove the cover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

This is one of the best leftover turkey recipes! Enjoy!

What To Serve With Stuffed Shells Pasta Bake

You can serve a crusty bread, cool and crisp side salad, or roasted vegetables with this pasta dish. But, for even more inspired ideas, check out some easy and delicious side dish recipes in this round up!

Leftover Turkey Stuffed Shells FAQs

Can I freeze these Turkey and Ricotta Stuffed Shells?

You can freeze your fully assembled Stuffed Shells Casserole either cooked or uncooked. If you freeze it uncooked, you will want to thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours before baking it. However, if it is fully thawed through to the center, simply bake according to the instructions. If you freeze it fully cooked, you should still thaw it in the fridge 24 hours ahead, but you could bake it in the oven at 350 F degrees for an hour from frozen state. Just test the center to see if it is warmed through in the center. If not, bake for another 10-15 and check again.

Can I use ground turkey or chicken instead of shredded?

Yes, you can use ground turkey or chicken instead of shredded in this Stuffed Shells recipe. You could certainly used regular ground chicken, ground turkey, or even ground beef or ground pork.  Cook the ground meat in a frying pan or skillet with a pinch of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then follow the instructions for adding it to the filling and assembling and cooking the stuffed shells.

What can I use as a substitute for Ricotta for the Stuffed Shells filling?

If you don’t have ricotta cheese, there are a few other cheese substitutions for the filling. You could use cottage cheese in this recipe in place of ricotta.  If you do this, you want to use either small curd or blend the large curd in a food processor until smoother. You could also make a mixture of cream cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella. Cream cheese is tangy and thick, so you will want to mix only 6 ounces of cream cheese with ¾ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. The rest of the filling ingredients will be the same.

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