Stuffed Shells is a classic Italian main dish recipe that consist of a creamy cheese filling with spinach stuffed into pasta type shells and cooked in a rich marinara sauce until bubbly and golden.
I grew up eating baked stuffed shells a few times each month. Most of the time we had frozen stuffed shells from the package out of the freezer section; however, on the rare occasion my mom would make them from scratch. Now, as a busy mom of two kids with a business to maintain I fully understand why my mom didn’t make stuffed shells from scratch often.
When I do make stuffed shells I will make a double batch. One batch for us to eat fresh for dinner and the other that I’ll freeze for a future easy dinner. This means we get to eat stuffed shells every month or so. I love to pair the stuffed shells with cheesy garlic bread and salad.
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Why this Recipes Works
Stuffed shells can feed a crowd for an affordable price
This baked pasta dish can be prepared ahead of time and then baked once ready to eat.
This meatless stuffed shells recipe can be modified to add meat if needed.
Ingredients for Stuffed Shells
- Pasta Shells – I like to buy the jumbo shells but regular size will work.
- Dairy – You will need a mix of ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, and grated Parmesan.
- Spinach – I use a box of frozen spinach that I thaw and drain until no water is present.
- Egg – One egg is all you need to mix into the ricotta filling.
- Garlic – A few cloves of garlic are pressed through a garlic press to give the ricotta a nice flavor, but not over power it.
- Spices – Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning are needed to add flavor the the cheese filling.
- Tomato Sauce – You can make homemade marinara sauce or use your favorite jarred sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
First, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil (salt with about 1 tablespoon) on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the shells, and stir often so they don’t stick together. Cook for 8-9 minutes until al dente.
While the pasta boils. Squeeze the thawed spinach removing all the liquids out of it.
In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, drained spinach, crushed garlic, Parmesan reggiano, ¾ cup mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix until it’s well blended.
Drain shells, and rinse well under cold water bringing the shells to room temperature. Begin to separate the shells onto a paper towel lined surface.
Spray a 9×11 baking dish with olive oil spray. Add one cup of sauce to the pan and spread around so the bottom is just covered.
Take a single shell pasta and scoop the filling using a teaspoon into the shell. Once filling is in shell, gently push the seems shut as best as possible. Place the shell seam side up and repeat this step until all shells are filled.
Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the shells making sure all of the shells are covered. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese on top.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil after time is up and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
FAQs
Stuffed Shells are a shell like pasta that is stuffed with a ricotta cheese or cottage cheese mixture. Manicotti is a long tubed pasta that is filled with a ricotta cheese or cottage cheese mixture. Both pastas are baked in tomato sauce and topped with additional shredded mozzarella cheese. You can use the same type of filling for both, but the pasta shape is different.
I always put at least one egg in the ricotta mixture. This helps give the cheese mixture a more body.
I typically serve 3-4 shells per adult and 1-2 per kids if I have a vegetable, garlic bread, and salad. If I don’t have all the sides then I will serve 2-3 additional shells.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Want to make the Best Stuffed Shells? Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks.
- Frozen Spinach – It is very important that the spinach should not have any liquids left in them. If they do your filling will become runny.
- Parmesan Cheese – If you wish to add more parmesan cheese to your filling omit the salt as Parmesan is naturally salty.
- Chill Pasta – Add ice cubes to the strainer so the shells can cool faster.
- Over Stuffing – Make sure to not overly fill the shells, but enough to where the seams barely meet when squeezed.
- Freezing For Future Meals – If you want to use the entire box of jumbo shells add an additional 1 cup of ricotta to the mix and double the remaining ingredients. You will be able to fill a 9×11 pan plus an additional 9×9 pan with stuffed shells. You will also need an additional 24 ounces of sauce.
What to Serve with Stuffed Shells
Not sure what to serve with stuffed shells? Here are a few of my favorite recipes that pair best with stuffed shells.
If you make this Stuffed Shells with Spinach recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Stuffed Shells with Spinach
Ingredients
- 24 Jumbo Stuffed Shells
- 16 ounces Ricotta cheese
- 10 ounces Frozen Chopped Spinach thawed and drained well
- 2 ounces Parmesan reggiano
- 8 ounces Shredded Mozzarella Cheese divided
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- Olive Oil Spray
- 24 ounces Marinara Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil (salt with about 1 tablespoon) on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the shells, and stir often so they don’t stick together. Cook for 8-9 minutes until al dente.
- While the pasta boils. Squeeze the thawed spinach removing all the liquids out of it.
- In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, drained spinach, crushed garlic, Parmesan reggiano, ¾ cup mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix until it’s well blended.
- Drain shells, and rinse well under cold water bringing the shells to room temperature. Begin to separate the shells onto a paper towel lined surface.
- Spray a 9×11 baking dish with olive oil spray. Add one cup of sauce to the pan and spread around so the bottom is just covered.
- Take a single shell pasta and scoop the filling using a teaspoon into the shell. Once filling is in shell, gently push the seems shut as best as possible. Place the shell seam side up and repeat this step until all shells are filled.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the shells making sure all of the shells are covered. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil after time is up and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
Notes
- Frozen Spinach – It is very important that the spinach should not have any liquids left in them. If they do your filling will become runny.
- Parmesan Cheese – If you wish to add more parmesean cheese to your filling omit the salt as Parmesan is naturally salty.
- Chill Pasta – Add ice cubes to the strainer so the shells can cool faster.
- Over Stuffing – Make sure to not overly fill the shells, but enough to where the seams barely meet when squeezed.
- Freezing For Future Meals – If you want to use the entire box of jumbo shells add an additional 1 cup of ricotta to the mix and double the remaining ingredients. You will be able to fill a 9×11 pan plus an additional 9×9 pan with stuffed shells. You will also need an additional 24 ounces of sauce.
Eva
I got the general idea of this recipe. Seems to be missing key points though. Like, a large container of ricotta is a vague measurement. Also no oven temperature is provided. I’m still trying this, finagling it my way but an inexperienced cook might have trouble.
Katie
Hi Eva–thank you for visiting and taking the time to leave the comment. This is a very old recipe and as I read it now–yes very vague! I’ll work on remaking it (with accurate measurements) to repost in the future.
Katie
LOl Asheligh you crack me up! There must be… and if there isn't maybe you should start another blog on stuffed foods! 🙂 These are awesome, and best of all my husband loves them!!
Ashleigh
I like stuffed recipes. I wonder if theres a blog out there dedicated to all things stuffed… Anyway, these look great. Thanks!
Katie
It's pretty easy to make and taste delicious!
Jessika
Mmm. This looks good. I might have to try this for dinner soon.