Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells

These Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food. It doesn’t get much better than pasta, chili, and melted cheese in one bowl! You can make these chili-stuffed shells using leftover chili or my super delicious veggie chili recipe. It’s a great dish to serve for a filling family dinner. 

These Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells are similar in flavor to a chili mac recipe, and they’re so delicious! I like to load my chili with vegetables and beans, which makes these chili-stuffed shells a healthy and filling dinner option.

Making stuffed shells can be a bit more labor-intensive than other pasta recipes, but they are totally worth it! I do have a more traditional vegan stuffed shells recipe, but it’s always fun to experiment with new flavors.

Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chili – I include a chili recipe specifically for this stuffed shell recipe. It’s basically my vegan chili recipe without the added vegetable broth. It’s nice and thick and goes well in the shells. You can also use leftover or canned chili if it doesn’t have too much liquid.
• Shell Noodles – I used extra-large shell noodles, which you would use for a regular stuffed shell recipe. If you can’t find shells, you could also use manicotti noodles and stuff the chili inside.
• Sauce – You want a little sauce to help coat the bottom of the pan and to top each stuffed shell. You can use chili, taco, or red enchilada sauce.
• Cheese – I just used a Fiesta shredded cheese blend, but you can use any cheese you like, omit the cheese, or use vegan cheese if desired.
• Toppings – Top chili cheese-stuffed shells with your favorite chili toppings. I used avocado, tomato, green onion, and cilantro. You could add sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce, crushed crackers, or chips.

How To Make Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. This can be done at the beginning of the recipe or just before you put the stuffed shells in the oven.
2. Start by preparing your chili. You can use leftover or canned chili if you like; make sure it is pretty thick in consistency. Heat a large pot over medium heat, along with olive oil, onion, bell peppers, zucchini, and summer squash, with a pinch of salt. Stir together and cook the veggies until softened, 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Add the beans, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, refried beans, and seasonings. Mix everything together well and let cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add a heaping cup of shredded cheese and mix until it melts. Set chili aside until ready to use.
4. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add in your extra large shell pasta and olive oil (to ensure the shells don’t stick together). Cook until shells are al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Allow shells to cool long enough that you can handle them. I like to lay them out on a clean kitchen towel, which helps ensure they are not sticking together and allows me to open them up.
5. Add about 1/2 cup of chili sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish and spread it around in an even layer. Use a spoon to fill each shell with the chili mixture—you want a couple of tablespoons in each one. Place the filled shells into the baking dish in a single layer. You can pack them in as lightly as you like.
6. Top each shell with a little spoonful of chili sauce, then top all the shells with about 3/4 cup of shredded cheese, or more if desired. Place the shells in the oven and bake until the cheese is completely melted, 20-25 minutes. You can also cover them with foil for the first 15 minutes and then remove them to ensure the cheese is completely melted. Top with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!

Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

• Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yes, you would need to find gluten-free giant shell noodles.
• Are these stuffed shells vegan? No, I used regular cheese, but you can easily use vegan cheese or omit the cheese if you need to make this recipe dairy-free.
• Can leftover chili be used? Yes, you can use leftover or canned chili. You want to ensure there isn’t too much liquid in the chili so you can easily stuff the shell noodles with it.
• Is this recipe freezer-friendly? Yes, you can freeze these chili cheese-stuffed shells. I recommend freezing them just before you put them in the oven, but they would also probably freeze well as leftovers after being cooked.
• How long do leftovers last in the refrigerator? They should last about 4-5 days if stored in an airtight container.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comments below, and I will reply ASAP.

Looking For More Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes?

Curried Vegetable Pot Pie

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Red Thai Curry Noodles with Veggies

Vegetarian Tuna Melts

Stuffed Pepper Casserole with Soyrizo

Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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These Vegetarian Chili Cheese Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food! It doesn’t get much better than pasta, chili and melted cheese in one bowl! You can make these chili stuffed shells using leftover chili, or you can use my super delicious veggie chili recipe. Great for a filling family dinner.

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Ingredients

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• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small yellow squash, diced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with most of the liquid drained out
• 1 cup refried beans
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (16 oz) box large shells
• 1 1/2 cups chili sauce, taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• Favorite chili toppings: avocado, onion, tomato, green onion, cilantro, corn chips, crackers, hot sauce, etc…

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  This can be done at the beginning of the recipe or just before you are ready to put the stuffed shells in the oven.
2. Start by preparing your chili.  You can use leftover chili or canned chili if you like, you just want to make sure it is pretty thick in consistency.  Heat a large pot over medium heat and olive oil, onion, bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash with a pinch of salt.  Stir together and cook veggies until softened, 7-10 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Add in the beans, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, refried beans and seasonings.  Mix everything together well and let cook for about 5-10 minutes.  Add in a heaping cup of shredded cheese and mix until cheese is melted.  Set chili aside until ready to use.
4. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling.  Add in your extra large shell pasta, along with a little bit of olive oil (to make sure the shells don’t stick together).  Cook until shells are aldente, about 10-12 minutes.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water, to stop the cooking process.  Allow shells to cool long enough that you can handle them.  I like to lay them out on a clean kitchen towel because that helps ensure they are not sticking together and it allows for me to be able to open them up.
5. Add about 1/2 cup of chili sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish and spread around in an even layer.  Use a spoon to fill each shell with the chili mixture, you want a couple of tablespoons in each one.  Place the filled shells into the baking dish in a single layer, you can pack them in as lightly as you like.
6. Top each shell with a little spoonful of chili sauce and then top all the shells with about 3/4 cup of shredded cheese, or more if desired.  Place the shells in the oven and bake until cheese is completely melted, 20-25 minutes.  You can also cover with foil for the first 15 minutes or so and then remove it to make sure the cheese gets completely melted.  Top with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
• Method: Stovetop, Oven
• Cuisine: American