Sun Dried Tomato and Broccoli Unstuffed Shells

These sun dried tomato and broccoli unstuffed shells skip the tedious stuffing and go straight for flavor! Easy to make and even more fun to eat, this vegetarian dinner idea is ready in about an hour.

Jump to Recipe

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.

You’re looking at comfort food at it’s finest.

My family loves a good pasta dish, but my kids can be a little picky about all the goodies I mix it up with. I’ve made delicious variations on stuffed shells many times, only to have them scrape out all the goodness before devouring the shell. I’d find myself eating the vegetables off their plate, but it still felt a little wasteful.

Easy stuffed shells

Eventually I decided it was time to go unstuffed. What is an unstuffed shell you may ask? It’s an easy recipe for stuffed shells that skips all the stuffing and just mixes the pasta with the sauce and veggies. You’re left with perfectly cooked giant pasta shells, creamy sauce, and tons of flavorful veggies that can be easily picked around by little hands or piled on by me.

Ingredients

• Shell pasta
• Broccoli
• Onion
• Garlic
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Sun dried tomatoes (with oil)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Butter
• Flour
• Milk
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Breadcrumbs
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

How to make unstuffed shells

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta 1-2 minutes less than called for in the package directions. Add the broccoli to the pasta water in the last two minutes of cooking. Drain and transfer back to the pot or a large bowl.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil from the sun dried tomato jar in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
3. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
4. Add the sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, stirring until the vinegar is cooked off and the tomatoes are hot, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk 1 minute.
6. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Cook, whisking, until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli.
7. Stir the pasta together with the sauce and vegetables. Spread out in a 9×13 baking dish coated with cooking spray and top with mozzarella cheese.
8. In a small bowl, combine panko, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring or mixing with clean fingers until fully combined. Sprinkle evenly over the mozzarella. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350ºF or until the top is beginning to brown and the edges are bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Top tips

Don’t cook the pasta to al dente

When making baked pasta, I like to undercook my pasta by 1-2 minutes. This allows it to finish cooking in the oven, giving it the perfect pasta texture. If you boil the pasta all the way before baking, you may end up with mushy pasta.

Cook the broccoli with the pasta

Broccoli only needs to boil for about 2 minutes to become crisp tender, so I like to throw it in with the pasta in the last few minutes of cooking. If you prefer, you could steam the broccoli separately.

Tips for customizing sun dried tomato and broccoli unstuffed shells

• Use a gluten-free pasta, gluten-free flour blend, and skip the breadcrumbs to make this gluten-free
• Swap the large shells for whatever shape you have on hand
• Add whatever leftover veggies you might have on hand such as cooked zucchini, spinach, or sweet potato cubes
• Add roasted chickpeas, diced cooked chicken, or peeled cooked shrimp for protein
• Swap the white sauce for your favorite pesto

FAQ

More pasta recipes

• Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
• Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
• Spinach Pesto Pasta
• Meatless Baked Ziti
• Skillet Lasagna
• Baked Ravioli
• Creamy Fettuccine with Cajun Tofu
• Farmer’s Market Lasagna Rolls
• Pan Fried Butternut Squash Pasta
• Pesto Linguine with Crispy Balsamic Chickpeas
• Tomato and Feta Pasta
• Easy Fettuccine Alfredo

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Sun Dried Tomato and Broccoli Unstuffed Shells

An easy recipe for stuffed shells that skips the stuffing while mixing in sun dried tomatoes and broccoli.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 654kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces large shell pasta
• ▢ 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil from the sun dried tomato jar
• ▢ 1 small onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ ½ cup sun dried tomato in oil, drained
• ▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 ½ cups milk
• ▢ ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• ▢ Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup Italian or mozzarella cheese
• ▢ ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ Chopped freshly parsley, optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta 1-2 minutes less than called for in the package directions. Add the broccoli to the pasta water in the last two minutes of cooking. Drain and transfer back to the pot or a large bowl.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil from the sun dried tomato jar in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add the sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, stirring until the vinegar is cooked off and the tomatoes are hot, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the flour and whisk 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk in the milk.
• Whisk in ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Cook, whisking, until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli.
• Stir the pasta together with the sauce and vegetables. Spread out in the prepared pan and top with mozzarella cheese.
• In a small bowl, combine panko, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring or mixing with clean fingers until fully combined. Sprinkle evenly over the mozzarella. Sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is beginning to brown and the edges are bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Notes

 

Tips for customizing sun dried tomato and broccoli unstuffed shells

• Use a gluten-free pasta, gluten-free flour blend, and skip the breadcrumbs to make this gluten-free
• Swap the large shells for whatever shape you have on hand
• Add whatever leftover veggies you might have on hand such as cooked zucchini, spinach, or sweet potato cubes
• Add roasted chickpeas, diced cooked chicken, or peeled cooked shrimp for protein
• Swap the white sauce for your favorite pesto

 

Nutrition

Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 522mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1350IU | Vitamin C: 101.4mg | Calcium: 437mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @theliveinkitchen or tag #theliveinkitchen!