Oh, listen up, because I finally cracked the code on the ultimate comfort food that makes you want to curl up on the couch and forget all your troubles. Seriously, when I tell you that my recipe for Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce is mandatory weekend viewing, I mean it! It’s that perfect mashup where the bright, herby punch of pesto meets the luscious, slightly sophisticated hug of a creamy tomato sauce. I used to think pesto belonged on pasta, and vodka sauce belonged with penne, but mixing them in stuffed shells? Game-changing. The ricotta filling gets this incredible depth, and trust me, you absolutely need this baked pasta on your table ASAP. If you’re looking for a new favorite, check out my general stuffed shells guide, but for this version, keep reading!

Why This Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce Recipe Shines

Honestly, this recipe isn’t just fancy Italian; it’s really smart! You get so much flavor packed into these little shells without spending hours slaving over a cutting board. It’s rich, comforting, and surprisingly simple to put together once you have your components ready. It just keeps getting better the second time around, too!

Flavor Fusion: Pesto Meets Creamy Tomato

Why choose one great sauce when you can have both? The pesto brings this awesome, sharp basil freshness right into the creamy ricotta filling. Then, that vodka sauce? It’s rich, it’s got a little zing, and it coats everything beautifully. It’s like these two sauces were destined to meet, you know?

Make-Ahead Friendly for Busy Weeks

This is my secret weapon for feeling like a domestic goddess without actually working hard all week. You can whip up the ricotta filling and even cook the whole vodka sauce on Sunday. Then, when Wednesday rolls around, it’s just a quick assembly job before popping it in the oven. Pure magic!

Gathering Ingredients for Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Okay, getting ready to make this dish means getting organized, because we need a few specific things to nail that filling and that creamy sauce combo. Don’t skip the instructions on the prep for the veggies; it makes a huge difference! And if you want the secret to a really deep tomato flavor in your sauce, you’ve got to check out my tips on making a proper tomato base, right here.

For the Ricotta Pesto Filling

One whole box of jumbo pasta shells – these are the perfect pocket holders!
Fifteen ounces of creamy ricotta cheese. Make sure it’s drained a bit if it seems watery.
Half a cup of prepared pesto sauce. Store-bought is fine, but make sure it’s vibrant!
Half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese because, well, cheese.
One large egg to bind everything up nicely.
One teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper for seasoning the insides.

For the Creamy Vodka Sauce

This is where the magic happens slowly, so pay attention to those aromatics!

Two tablespoons of olive oil to get things sizzling.
One small onion, chopped fine.
Two glorious cloves of garlic, minced super thin. Don’t buy the jarred stuff here if you can help it!
One big, twenty-eight ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
Half a cup of heavy cream for that beautiful silkiness.
A quarter cup of vodka. Yes, vodka! It cooks right off, I promise.
A quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes for just a tiny whisper of heat.

For Topping and Baking

You just need one more thing to cap it all off:

One cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to get bubbly and golden on top.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

This doesn’t have to be complicated, folks! The key here is taking it one component at a time, and honestly, taking your time with the pasta so it doesn’t break when you stuff it. I look at baking pasta like a puzzle—everything has to fit just right before the magic happens in the oven. If you’ve ever made my wonton soup, you know I love when steps are clear, and this is no different!

Preparing the Pasta and Filling

First things first: get those jumbo shells boiling! You want them cooked until they are just *al dente*. That means they should still have a little bite; if they are mushy, they’ll tear when you fill them! As soon as they’re done, drain them immediately and run some cool water over them so they don’t stick together while you work. While those cool, mix up that ricotta filling in a bowl. Just stir that ricotta, pesto, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper until it’s all perfectly combined. Don’t overdo the mixing, though—we want it combined, not overworked!

Creating the Signature Vodka Sauce

Now for the sauce! Heat up your olive oil in a nice big saucepan. Toss in your chopped onion and let it soften up—five minutes is usually plenty. Then add the garlic and cook it for just one more minute until you can really smell it; watch it closely so it doesn’t burn! Pour in the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes and let that simmer gently for about ten minutes. This simmering time is important because it deepens the tomato flavor. Finally, stir in the heavy cream and the vodka. Let it cook for about five more minutes. The vodka flavor cooks off quickly, leaving behind a lovely complexity that you just can’t fake!

Assembling and Baking the Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Preheat your oven to three hundred seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 190 Celsius). Get a 9×13 baking dish and spread just a thin layer of your beautiful vodka sauce on the bottom—this keeps the shells from sticking. Carefully stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture and snuggle them into the dish over that sauce. Pour the rest of that gorgeous sauce right over the top, making sure every shell gets coated. Sprinkle that mozzarella all over everything! Bake it for twenty-five to thirty minutes until that cheese is perfectly bubbly and just starting to brown.

Tips for Perfect Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Okay, now that you’ve built this masterpiece, let’s make sure it comes out absolutely perfect, not just good—perfect! I’ve learned a few tricks over the years, especially when dealing with cheesy fillings in tomato sauce; nobody wants a soupy mess, right? If you’re looking for more classic Italian inspiration, check out some of my takes on popular Italian restaurant favorites!

Avoiding a Watery Filling

If your ricotta looked a little wetter than you’d hoped when you mixed it, don’t panic! The one thing I always keep stocked now is plain dried breadcrumbs. If the filling seems too loose before stuffing, stir in just a tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs. They’ll absorb that extra moisture while baking, keeping your filling firm and flavorful inside the shells. Trust me; this trick has saved me more than once!

Vodka Sauce Substitution Guidance

I totally get it; not everyone wants to cook with alcohol, and that’s fine! If you decided to swap out the vodka for something else, you probably used chicken or vegetable broth, which is a great substitute. Just know that the broth won’t impart that tiny little bit of acidity and richness that the alcohol does when it evaporates. To compensate, try adding a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice right at the end with the heavy cream. It mimics that necessary little lift beautifully!

Storage and Reheating Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

The fantastic news is that these baked shell beauties taste even better the next day! If you have leftovers—and you probably will, because this recipe makes a lot—here’s how you keep them perfect. Let them cool down completely before you cover your baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. They hang out happily in the cold for up to three days. When you’re ready for round two, always cover them with aluminum foil before reheating. This traps the steam and stops the top layer of cheese and sauce from drying out. Bake at 350°F until everything is hot all the way through. Perfection again!

Serving Suggestions for Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Now that your main dish is sorted, what are you going to serve it with? Since these shells are rich from the ricotta and the creamy vodka sauce, we need sides that are light and crisp to balance things out. You absolutely cannot go wrong with some crusty garlic bread for scooping up every last bit of that amazing sauce left in the pan. For something fresher, a very simple green salad dressed with something bright really cuts through the richness. I make a fantastic homemade Italian dressing mix that works wonders on some crisp romaine.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

I get so many questions whenever I share this recipe because everyone wants to make sure their version is just as good as mine! It’s totally normal to have questions when you’re mixing creamy ricotta filling with a fancy vodka sauce, so let’s clear up the most common things folks ask before they dive into the oven.

Can I use jarred vodka sauce instead of making it from scratch?

You absolutely can, especially if you need a total weeknight cheat day! However, homemade lets you control the quality of the cream and the spice. If you use store-bought sauce, give it a little love before you use it. Stir in an extra splash of heavy cream for richness, and maybe a tiny pinch of fresh black pepper or a little extra red pepper flake to kick up the flavor right where you need it.

Is it possible to freeze Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce?

Oh yes! This makes fantastic freezer meals. You have two choices: assemble everything completely—sauce, shells stuffed with the ricotta filling, and cheese topping—then cover tightly with foil and freeze it unbaked. To cook from frozen, add about 20 minutes to your bake time. Or, you can bake them first, let them cool, and then freeze portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered!

What if I don’t have jumbo shells? Can I use manicotti?

That’s a great substitution question! Manicotti tubes will work just fine, no problem at all. Just be aware that manicotti shells are usually a bit longer and sometimes narrower than the jumbo shells. This means you might need a little patience when you are spooning in that lovely pesto-ricotta filling, and you might need one or two extra shells depending on the volume!

Nutritional Estimates for Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Now, I’m not a nutritionist or anything, so please take these numbers with a grain of salt—it’s just my best guess based on how much stuff goes into this gorgeous dish! When you’re making something this rich with ricotta, cream, and Parmesan, you know it’s going to be satisfying! This data breakdown is based on a serving size of about four shells, which is a pretty generous portion for six servings total.

Keep in mind that these totals can shift wildly depending on the fat content of your ricotta or how much extra oil you might sneak into that vodka sauce simmer. But generally, if you’re looking for a hearty, high-protein dinner that brings the comfort, this recipe delivers!

Calories: Around 550 per serving. They are undeniably delicious, so worth the indulgence!
Total Fat: Roughly 35 grams. That’s where all that creamy goodness lives!
Protein: Fantastic source here, about 25 grams, mostly thanks to the cheeses and pasta.
Carbohydrates: Sitting around 45 grams, mostly from the pasta shells themselves.

Share Your Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce Creations

Now that you’ve got the recipe and hopefully smelled your kitchen filling up with the most amazing aroma of basil and creamy tomato, I genuinely want to know how it went for you! This recipe means the world to me, and seeing you make it successfully is the best part of running this little corner of the internet.

Did the ricotta stay firm? Was the vodka sauce punchy enough? Don’t be shy! Drop a rating below—that little star system is super helpful for other folks deciding if they should tackle this cheesy masterpiece. And if you snapped a photo of the finished product looking all bubbly and gorgeous, please tag me on social media! I absolutely love seeing your creations come to life.

If you ran into any snags or have a little trick you invented while making these amazing Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce, please share it in the comments section so we can all learn from each other. If you’ve got questions about substitutions or serving, send a direct message through my contact page, too! Can’t wait to hear from you!

Pesto Stuffed Shells With Vodka Sauce

Author: ferecipe.com
Total Time: 65 min
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Large pasta shells filled with pesto and ricotta cheese, baked in a creamy tomato vodka sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

1 box jumbo pasta shells
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Cook pasta shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, pesto sauce, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. This is your filling.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream and vodka. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is your vodka sauce.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
Spread a thin layer of vodka sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Stuff each cooked shell with the ricotta-pesto mixture and arrange them in the baking dish over the sauce.
Pour the remaining vodka sauce over the stuffed shells.
Sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes

You can make the vodka sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
If you prefer not to use alcohol, substitute the vodka with an equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth.

Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Category: Dinner
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Italian-American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 4 shells
Calories: 550
Sugar: 10
Sodium: 750
Fat: 35
Saturated Fat: 18
Unsaturated Fat: 10
Trans Fat: 1
Carbohydrates: 45
Fiber: 4
Protein: 25
Cholesterol: 90

Keywords: pesto stuffed shells, vodka sauce, ricotta filling, baked pasta, Italian dinner