Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 6 votes

Pesto Turkey Stuffed Shells Recipe

This pesto turkey stuffed shells recipe is lightened up with one of my favorite baked pasta tricks. They were an immediate hit with my whole family!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 3207 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces jumbo stuffed shells
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pound lean (93%) ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 ½ cup (packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves
  • 1 ½ cups low fat cottage cheese
  • ¼ cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
  • 2 ¼ cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Bring  a large saucepan of water to a boil over highheat. Salt generously. Add the pasta shells and cook according to packagedirections, until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground turkey to the skillet, and season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up turkey with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat.
  4. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
  5. Transfer the cottage cheese to a large bowl and stir in the pesto. Add the turkey mixture. Stir until combined with the pesto cottage cheese.
  6. Fill each shell with 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then spread ¾ cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish.
  8. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells, open side up, in the baking dish. Spread the remaining 1 ½ cup marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
  9. Cover with foil and bake until the marinara sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the Parmesan cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve.

Notes

  • Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the LoseIt! calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition Information

Serving 3stuffed shells Calories 320.7kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 29.3g (10%) Protein 22.6g (45%) Fat 13.3g (20%) Saturated Fat 3.6g (18%) Cholesterol 50.8mg (17%) Sodium 644.2mg (27%) Fiber 2.6g (10%) Sugar 5g (10%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 3207

% Daily Value*

Serving 3stuffed shells
Calories 320.7kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 29.3g 10%
Protein 22.6g 45%
Fat 13.3g 20%
Saturated Fat 3.6g 18%
Cholesterol 50.8mg 17%
Sodium 644.2mg 27%
Fiber 2.6g 10%
Sugar 5g 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.