Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
In this easy spinach and ricotta stuffed shells recipe, three cheeses combine with quick sauteed spinach, marinara sauce, and jumbo pasta shells for a hearty and comforting, crowd-pleasing vegetarian dinner.
Growing up, I was one of those bizarre children who actually liked eating vegetables. For a long time, spinach was my very favorite, and I would eat big bowls of it simply steamed, or sometimes with a little sprinkling of cheese.
I loved those leafy greens. Before you envy my parents having a child content to munch on spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, tomatoes, or other fresh produce procured in our family vegetable garden, they also lived through my angst-filled adolescent years, and I’m sure they’ll remind you that it all evens out in the end.
Today we still eat a lot of spinach, and I like incorporating it into recipes for a healthy boost. In this spinach and ricotta stuffed shells recipe, we combine quick sauteed spinach with creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, all tucked in to extra-large pasta shells and baked to bubbly goodness. The result is a healthy and hearty baked pasta dish that makes for a crowd-pleasing vegetarian meal.
PrintSpinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
In this easy spinach and ricotta stuffed shells recipe, three cheeses combine with quick sauteed spinach and jumbo pasta shells for a hearty and comforting, crowd-pleasing vegetarian dinner.
Ingredients
- 16 jumbo pasta shells (Cook a couple of extra shells to allow for a few breaking while the pasta cooks.)
- 1–1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 4 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves, roughly-chopped
- 12 oz skim-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1–1/4 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
- Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of Parmesan.
Keywords: spinach stuffed shells, ricotta, baked pasta, easy dinner, vegetarian
Easy and delicious!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Lori!!
★★★★★
Very easy to make and they were delicious. I had filling leftover though; I could have stuffed maybe 20-22 shells. I’ll use a larger baking dish next time and make more shells. Otherwise we enjoyed them very much. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thank you!!
MADE THIS FOR MY WIFE YESTERDAY WITH OUR HOME GROWN MARINARA SAUCE.MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER
★★★★★
Thanks, Ken!!
Made these for dinner last night. They were delicious. My husband loved them. We’re having the leftovers for lunch today.
★★★★★
Thank you, Dianne! So happy you and the hubby enjoyed the recipe!
Amazing! I used a pastry bag to fill the shells; it went perfectly.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Audrey!!
I made the filling tonight andeill assemble and bake it tomorrow my only addition was a small amount of nutmeg. Cant wait to eat it,
★★★★★
Thank you, John!!
did it hold up well cooking it the next day? I am thinking about doing this also.
We made this for dinner tonight – everyone loved it – it was delicious. Thank you for this amazing recipe – it will become one of our go to vegetarian dishes.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Annie!!
The final product was delicious! It was a bit difficult And messy stuffing the shells though.
★★★★
Thank you, Cynthia! Some readers have found using a piping bag for the filling can be faster/less messy.
Even if you don’t have a bag for doing icing a zip lock bag with the corner cut after filling works great. You can get the air out zip it shut and cut as big of a hole as needed. I do my deviled eggs this way too.
★★★★★
I’m a veg head & love cheesy Italian food. This is a great recipe. Delicious! I improvised a bit, added some chopped broccoli. Still delicious!
★★★★★
Yum! Thanks, Richard!!
Excellent recipe! My house smells amazing and my family was super satisfied! Easy to double too when you have more to feed! Thank yoh
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Jenn!!
Really simple & tasty weeknight dinner! I didn’t realize until the last minute that I bought the wrong noodles (what I’m going to do with ginormous macaroni noodles is beyond me). So I made the sauce, boiled up some rigatoni and baked it all together with some sausage and ground turkey. Received the stamp of approval from both my husband and my three year-old. I’ll take that win. 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jess!! 🙂
This is a keeper. Great when you don’t want to fuss so much with dinner. I always have a bag of spinach in the freezer for recipes like this. Take the spinach out of freezer give it a big squeeze and you have perfect spinach confetti.
This recipe seems very popular and I can understand. I’ve been making this about 4 years now. Thank you
★★★★★
Thank you, VG!! So happy to hear it’s been a favorite for so many years! 🙂
This is one of the best baked pasta dishes I have made. I followed the recipe as directed. It turned out great. I made it using the 16 jumbo shells and it was enough for me and my husband who would not stop eating it. I will make this again for sure.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Cheryl!! So happy it was a hit 🙂
Can I use cream cheese instead of ricotta?
Hi, Melissa! You could probably substitute a small amount of the ricotta for cream cheese, but I wouldn’t recommend 1:1. The textures will be very different. You could maybe try blending some drained cottage cheese? But really, have only tested with ricotta, and that’s what will work the best. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! It is my go to meal to make for loved ones when they get home from the hospital after having a baby. It is always a hit!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Kami!!
These were very tasty. I shared them with a couple of neighbors. They enjoyed them too. The fresh spinach wilted in the garlic give the shells an added dimension of flavor.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Janice!!
A fantastic recipe! So simple to make and was the perfect addition to our Christmas meal yesterday. I doubled the recipe, used fresh spinach, and prepped the filling the day before I assembled and baked the shells which made Christmas day easy breezy. Can’t wait to make this again!
Thanks so much, Natalie!! So happy it was a hit for the holidays 🙂
Instead of skim-milk ricotta & mozzarella we used the full-fat versions and it was sooo delicious and creamy! This is a keeper!
★★★★★
Yum!! Thanks, Rebecca!
It’s blizzard-ing outside right now and this is baking in the oven-fingers crossed the power doesn’t go out for at least 20 minutes so it can bake all the way! 😉 Smells AMAZING!!! Great way to kick off a very cozy covid Christmas!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Trish!! So happy this could be a little part of your celebrations this year 🙂
I have made this a few times so far and it is excellent as written. My family like things rather saucy, so I now double the amount of marinara (about 1 full jar). It also works great with frozen, thawed spinach (squeezed dry). Everyone in my family of meat eaters love and request this meatless meal!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Elaine!! So happy to hear it’s a family fave 🙂