Pasta Stuffed Pizza-Style
Submitted by damaris76
Pasta stuffed pizza-style, jumbo pasta shells filled with shredded zucchini, torn pepperoni and Italian bread crumbs, baked under tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. A pizza-night mashup in shell form.
YIELD
3 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minThis recipe takes pizza flavors and tucks them inside jumbo pasta shells for a crowd-friendly weeknight bake that lands somewhere between stuffed shells and a deep-dish pizza. The filling skips the usual ricotta entirely and goes with grated zucchini, torn pepperoni and Italian-style bread crumbs bound with an egg white.
That zucchini-squeeze step is a must. Tossing grated zucchini with a little salt (or garlic powder here) draws out the water, which you then squeeze hard in a clean kitchen towel. Skip it and your shells leak watery liquid all over the pan during baking. Done right, the zucchini tastes fresh and holds its structure through the bake.
Pepperoni torn in small pieces instead of sliced gives more surface area to crisp at the edges where the filling peeks out the top. Dried oregano and basil in a quick tomato sauce keep things genuinely pizza-adjacent.
Mozzarella and Parmesan go on top for that proper melted-cheese-bubbling-at-the-edges pizza finish.
Kitchen Tips
- Undercook the shells slightly, they’ll finish softening in the oven and overcooked shells tear when you stuff them
- Squeeze the zucchini hard, even after the five-minute rest, a good extra wring keeps the filling dry
- Stuff the shells while still slightly warm, cold shells are less pliable and split
- Arrange shells opening-side up in the pan, otherwise the filling falls into the sauce as they bake
- Pre-shredded mozzarella is coated with anti-caking starch that resists melting cleanly, shred from the block for a glossier finish
Variations
- Add a layer of sauteed mushrooms or bell peppers under the shells for classic pizza toppings
- Swap pepperoni for cooked Italian sausage or diced prosciutto
- Top with a few sliced black olives before baking for a supreme-pizza crossover
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 450℉ (230℃). Toss the zucchini with the garlic powder and put it into a colander. Let it sit 5 minutes and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. In a large bowl, mix zucchini mixture with bread crumbs, pepperoni and egg white, stirring well. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the sauce.
When pasta is done, drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Stuff the shells with the filling mixture and arrange them in a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Spoon the sauce over pasta and sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
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