Delicious Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

By Angela Sellari Jump to Recipe

Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells — jumbo pasta shells filled with a mixture of spinach and ricotta cheese, smothered in a chunky red sauce and topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

For as long as I can remember my family have had pasta for dinner on Christmas Eve, with the holiday ham reserved for Christmas Day. My mom is well known for her lasagna, and I kept the lasagna tradition going for a while with my own family. A few years back, I tried something a little different while still upholding the tradition of Christmas Eve pasta. I’ve made penne alla vodka and baked rigatoni, but this year I made spinach and ricotta stuffed shells. Sounds good, right? Earlier this week I gave my stuffed shells recipe a trial run and am so pleased with how it turned out. YUM. It’s definitely a holiday-worthy pasta dish.

It’s not often that a recipe turns out perfect the first time, but this time the planets aligned and have given me pasta perfection. I wouldn’t change anything about how these stuffed shells turned out. Compared to a lot of baked pasta dishes, these shells take a little more time to assemble but the end result is definitely worth it.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• It’s healthy and easy to make. There aren’t many recipes that can boast that.
• Pasta is such a comfort food, especially when they’re stuffed with something smooth and creamy like this spinach and ricotta mixture.
• You can play around with the ingredients in the stuffing. Want meat? Want a favorite vegetable? Mince it up and add it!

How To Store Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Let the pasta cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat it again, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil then warm in the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. If you would like to store the pasta shells longer, you can freeze it by following the above steps. They should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the pasta thaw in the fridge overnight then follow the steps above.

Delicious Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Angela Sellari

These stuffed shells filled with spinach and ricotta cheese, smothered in red sauce and topped with plenty of cheese is truly to die for.

4.59 from 17 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 455 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 boxes boxes of large pasta shells
• 3 containers (15 oz each) light ricotta cheese
• 1 bundle of thinly sliced spinach
• marinara sauce either homemade or purchased from a store
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare the pasta shells according to the package instructions, but remove them from heat 1 minute early. Drain and set aside.
• Heat olive oil over MEDIUM heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
  
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil. Add the cooled spinach to the mixture. Transfer the ricotta filling to a piping bag.
  
• Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce at the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in the dish.
  
• Top the shells with more marinara sauce, followed by mozzarella and extra Parmesan cheese.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  

Notes

• Depending on how much filling you put into each pasta shell, you may or may not use the entire box of shells. I was very generous with the filling and ended up with 27 shells. You should be able to feed 8-10 people with this recipe, with a serving size of 3 to 4 shells per person.

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 30gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gSodium: 546mgFiber: 0.2g

Keyword Delicious Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

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