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
I made these last night and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe, very simple and not too overwhelming for a weeknight family dinner.
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Thanks, Tiara! So glad you enjoyed my recipe!
can you substitute cottage cheese for the riccotta?
Hi Crystal! I haven’t tried that before so I’m not sure… Maybe? I’d be curious to know how it turns out if you try!
Just tried the recipe with 1.5 cups of 1% cottage cheese instead of the ricotta and it turned out great!
Awesome recipe Laura, perfect for a college student to make and keep in the fridge!
Thanks, Kathleen! So glad you enjoyed these! (And good to know about the substitution!)
Made these tonight and they were awesome!!! Great recipe, thanks for sharing… My family love it..
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I just wrote a comment, and it looks like it didn’t go through, so I’m trying this again! I made this recipe about two months ago, and everyone loved it!! It was so good that I want to make the recipe again, and this time I’d like to add some sausage to some of the shells. Does anyone have any recommendations on adding sausage? I want to use a healthier type like chicken sausage. I never cook with sausage. I’m thinking of cooking it in a pan with a little onion before adding it to the mixture. Any thoughts on this? Thanks for your help!
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Hi Colleen – I’m wondering if you ever ended up making these with sausage? If so, would you mind letting me know if you needed to adjust the cook time, etc?? Thanks!
I made this recipe, and it was absolutely delicious! I plan on making these again and would like to add sausage to some of the shells for people who want a little meat in the stuffed pasta shell. Does anyone have any recommendations on doing this? I’m thinking of getting a healthier type of sausage such as chicken sausage. Some come precooked. I think that I may cook it up with a little bit of onion in a pan first of all. I’m open to any ideas to adding sausage … but not too much since I like this dish the way it is! Many thanks for the tasty recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight….
Very good…big hit
Thank you
My 11 year old son made this for us last night and it was a huge hit. The whole family loved these! Can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers.
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I am making this for a party Saturday night. I will have two trays on the sternos and of course I’m afraid of it drying out. Trying to figure out the best time to make this.
Do I make it now and freeze it until Saturday morning then bake? If I do, do I freeze it in the pan with the sauce?
Do I stuff all the shells the night before (don’t put sauce on yet) and cook morning of the party?
Do I not make it at all until the morning or very early afternoon of the party?
I need to transport it and heat it back up on the sternos for a 7pm party and we plan on leaving the house around 3PM. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
I made it last night and we all loved it! Thank you so much for posting it.
Thanks, Maryam! So glad you all loved the dish!
Great recipe. So glad I somehow found it, so delicious and so easy to make. Thank you so much for posting it!
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Thanks, Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These are so delicious! We have picky eaters in our family and this recipe has made it into the rotation. That says A LOT! Thank you so much for a happy vegetarian meal (with spinach, even) that everyone enjoys.
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Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I’m so glad to hear you and the family love these as much as we do!
So, so good. I make these once a week now. It’s just my husband and me, so it’s two days of dinners for us and actually tastes better the second day.
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Thank you so much, Gwyn! I’m so glad you and your husband are enjoying them as much as we do! And I agree, sometimes pasta is a little better the next day, all melded together 🙂
Very good. The spinach really makes a difference. My family loved it.
I’ve made these numerous times since I first found the recipe on Pinterest a while back. Easy and delicious! Finally now just checking out this website and very excited to try a bunch of the other recipes out!
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A little confused, in the picture it’s in an 8×8 dish with 9 shells but the recipe says to use 16 shells. I think the recipe would be better suited to a 9×13 dish.
I didn’t read the full recipe before I started and only had a 9×13 dish on hand and it was packed with shells (and a little left over). Great recipe though!
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Thanks, Daisy! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I don’t usually comment on things like this, but I just had to mention that these were amazing! My fiance and I made them on Valentine’s Day after making a different version of stuffed shells a few months ago that were a complete disaster. We loved the fresh basil in these. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks so much for letting me know, Julie! I’m so glad you and your fiance loved them as much as we do!!
I made this a few nights ago! It was perfect. My boyfriend asked if we could include this in our regular rotation. Awesome, and easy!
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Thanks, Rachel! So glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed!
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Amazing recipe just made that for my Family they love it and I will be making it again. Love love love it
Thanks, Zoila!