Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake - Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce
Turkey and Ricotta Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce is a delicious and transformational leftover turkey pasta bake idea. The Shredded Turkey, Italian seasonings, mozzarella, and ricotta are stuffed in shells and topped with a simple tomato sauce and more melty mozzarella and nutty parmesan, it's a perfect dish that the family will love!
Ingredients
Shells and Filling
- 12 ounces Jumbo Pasta Shells, uncooked
- 15 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- ½ cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 cups Shredded Turkey or Chicken
- 2 teaspoon Garlic, Minced
- 3 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Sauce and Topping
- 28 oz Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, Minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Mozzarella
- ¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Prep Ahead to Make your Kit
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Shred Turkey or chicken with fingers or using 2 forks.
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In a large mixing bowl, add all Filling ingredients except the shredded turkey and combine together.
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Once mixed thoroughly, add the turkey and fold in.
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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.
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Make the Tomato Sauce by emptying the whole tomatoes and 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.
Assemble the Casserole
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To a 9x11 Casserole Dish (3 Quart Dish) add a small amount of the tomato sauce, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread the sauce around. Sprinkle a pinch of Italian Seasoning all over.
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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.
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Once you have them all stuffed, start layering them in row by row starting with the short end of the dish and going across.
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Pour the tomato sauce over the shells, then sprinkle half of the Parmesan Cheese on top evenly. Next sprinkle the Mozzarella evenly over top and the remaining parmesan cheese on top of that.
Cook your Turkey Ricotta Stuffed Shells
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Preheat oven to 350 F degree.
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Cover the baking dish with an oven-safe cover or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- 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.