Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells. Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan cheese. Topped with marinara and baked until tender and gooey. Served with fresh basil! This dinner is ready in 45 minutes or less and is vegetarian!
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Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells with spinach are one of my favorite meals to make. Tender pasta shells stuffed with cheese and baked with pasta sauce until warm and gooey. To me they are comfort food at its finest.
The jumbo shells are stuffed with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, onions and garlic. They are full of flavor!
Ingredients
- Jumbo Pasta Shells: Are cooked in salted water until al dente before baking. Make sure not to overcook the pasta.
- Onions & Garlic: Are added to give the ricotta stuffed shells lots of flavor.
- Spinach: I prefer to use fresh spinach however frozen spinach can be substituted. You can also substitute the spinach for kale in this recipe if you have it on hand.
- Cheese: I use a blend of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. I recommend buying the blocks of parmesan and mozzarella and shredding them yourself. They will add so much more flavor and won’t add as much water to the cheese stuffed shells.
- Tomato Sauce: Use your favorite jar of marinara or use homemade tomato sauce.
- Seasonings: I add in salt and pepper to taste.
How to make stuffed shells with spinach
- Boil Pasta: Until al dente according to package directions.
- Saute Veggies: Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender about 3-4 minutes. Next add in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Make Filling: Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl and add in ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Assemble: Spread about 1/2 of the sauce in the bottom of a 8 x8 or 9 x 9 baking dish. Stuff shells with the spinach cheese mixture and place in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce.
- Bake: In a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through.
- Serve: The Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells with fresh basil and extra parmesan cheese.
- Store: Leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: In a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Variations
- Stuffed shells with meat: I kept this vegetarian however you can add in spicy sausage for a kick or shredded chicken for added protein.
- Sauce: Instead of the jared marinara use your favorite homemade tomato sauce recipe. Vodka sauce or Alfredo sauce would also be delicious in this!
- Extra Veggies: This is a great recipe to sneak in extra vegetables. I like to finely chop up carrots and celery and add it to my tomato sauce.
frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen spinach?
Fresh or frozen spinach can be used in this recipe. Just make sure if you are using frozen spinach to defrost it and drain all of the extra moisture from the spinach. If you don’t the ziti will get soggy and watery.
Can I freeze stuffed shells?
Yes! These stuffed pasta shells freeze beautifully! Whenever I make this recipe I always double it and freeze the extra pan. This stuffed shells recipe will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed the next day!
Can this be made ahead?
Yes! These easy stuffed shells can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking.
What to serve with Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Dinner Rolls
- Easy Homemade Focaccia
- Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Honey Roasted Carrots
Here are more Easy Pasta Recipes to try!
- Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo Recipe
- Pasta with Garlic and Oil
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Spaghetti Pea Carbonara
- One Pan Mexican Pasta
products used
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12-14 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- basil for serving, if desired
- extra parmesan cheese for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl and add in ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Spread about 1/2 of the sauce in the bottom of a 8 x8 or 9 x 9 baking dish.
- Stuff shells with the spinach cheese mixture and place in the baking dish.
- Top with the remaining sauce and bake for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through.
- Serve immediately with basil and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Stephanie Guthrie
Hello! Do you cover with foil when you put the stuffed shells in the oven?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Stephanie!
Nope there’s no need to cover them.
Hope you enjoy!
Kelley
Colleen
This recipe is so easy to make. It’s the first time I’ve ever made anything like this and it turned out amazing. I did add another thing to it and that was artichokes. I thought spinach and artichokes would be good together. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Kelley Simmons
So happy to hear you enjoyed this Colleen! Thanks so much for sharing!
alisa
I have used your recipe several times and I have never taken the time to thank you. It is by far the best I’ve found and family and friends agree. Thank you so much.
Kelley Simmons
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Alisa! Thanks so much for sharing!
Cassia
Hello,
Do these freeze very well?
Kelley Simmons
Yes these freeze really well! They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed the next day!
Vanessa Ordaz
I love this recipe so much I’ve made it many times now. It’s very easy to follow and so good! My family loves when I make this for dinner. 10/10
Kelley Simmons
Yah that makes me so happy to hear! Glad you enjoyed this!
Camilla McArthur
This was really nice, surprisingly light but still really comforting. I used tomato pasta sauce and skimped on how much I used but for next time will use more of it as the sauce got much thicker in the oven. Couldn’t source jumbo pasta shells so used canelonni instead which worked really well.
Madeleine
Dear Kelley, I made this recipe once and then made it again for a very fussy Italian friend of mine ,who is very fussy about her stuffed Shells.
I have eaten lots of stuffed Shells in my life and these are the best I have ever had. My friend raved about them,also thought they are great.
Kelley Simmons
This makes me so happy to hear! So glad you and your friend enjoyed these stuffed shells!
Kat
The dish is delicious, but your page has so many pop-ups that I had to take screenshots of everything because the page kept jumping around and I couldn’t read it while I was cooking. But it was a good dish.
Richelle Lawn
Going to make this tonight, sounds delicious and I already have all the ingredients. 🙂
Martha
Easy, quick, yummy. Followed recipe contents as written. Baked each filled shell in my nonstick cupcake pan! *Also added 1/2 wonderful precooked meatball to each shell, prior to the filling. (Oh!, I added 3-4 mushroom slices in the bottom of each cupcake “cup”) and otherwise baked these per recipe and followed same time / temp, etc. They were wonderful! Served with some name brand quick garlic toast adjusted to this temp and everything was perfect.
TIP If cooking in a cupcake pan, try to carefully cover the shell edges so they aren’t too crispy. Ours were just fine, but I watched them.
**Because I added the 1/2 homemade meatball and mushrooms our yield was 5 extra shells cooked in an additional 6 C pan.