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cheese and ricotta stuffed shells toped with tomato sauce served over bed of lettuce on plate.
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5 from 4 votes

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells are loaded with a filling of 3 cheeses, spinach and basil, then topped with a fresh Marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese. It makes a great lunch or dinner.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings (change as needed): 4 (3-4 shells each)
Author: Cheryl Avrich
US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

  • 14 large pasta shells. I make 18-20 in case some break (if using jumbo shells, make less)

Marinara Sauce (Note 1)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 can (28 ounce) San Marzano whole tomatoes preferably (or other kind)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Filling for pasta shells

  • 1 cup combination ricotta and goat cheese (I use 3/4 cup/190 g ricotta, 1/4 cup/61 g goat cheese)
  • 6 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, packed
  • 5 ounce frozen chopped spinach, Note 2 (you need 1/4 cup/45 grams well drained cooked spinach)
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (adds great flavor!)

Topping

  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
US Measures - Metric

Instructions

  • HEAT OVEN to 375F/190C.
  • BOIL PASTA SHELLS: Place pasta shells in boiling salted water and cook 2 minutes less than instructions say on package for al dente. Don't overcook as they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain, add a few drops of oil to prevent them sticking and set aside.
  • MAKE MARINARA SAUCE: While pasta is boiling, in a medium saucepan, heat olive oil to medium. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Wash hands well. Remove 1-2 tomatoes at a time from can, squish over saucepan until well broken up, then add to saucepan. Repeat with all tomatoes. Add juice from can. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir, bring to boil, then lower to medium heat and cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes until thickened to the consistency you like. For shortcut, see Note 1.
  • MAKE FILLING: Microwave frozen spinach, covered, for 2 minutes (or rinse under water to thaw). Drain well in a mesh sieve and squeeze excess water out (press down with back of spoon)and then with paper towels. You should have about 1/4 cup/45 grams (but a bit more or less is fine). Add spinach and all other filling ingredients to a food processor. Process for 1 minute until well blended. (Alternatively, chop basil finely and mix all ingredients together by hand).
  • STUFF SHELLS: Add about 1/2 cup/118 ml of the homemade Marinara sauce to bottom of a 7 x 11 or 9 x 9 glass pyrex or oven proof baking dish. Stuff shells with cheese-spinach mixture. TIP: I find it easier to put filling in a plastic bag, cut off the tip of the bag at the bottom of one side, then pipe filling into pasta shells. Arrange shells in baking dish, stuffed side up.
  • FINISH AND BAKE: Add about 1 cup/237 ml Marinara sauce evenly over stuffed shells. Sprinkle Mozzarella and extra Parmesan on top if desired. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until bubbling and starting to brown. Serve immediately with extra Marinara sauce on the side if you like.

Notes

  1. Shortcut for Marinara sauce: Feel free to use 1 1/2 - 2 cups of a good store-bought Marinara sauce. A great one is White Linen Marinara Sauce found at Costco. Rao's is another good sauce. This will save about 1/2 hour of cooking time for this recipe. 
  2. To use fresh spinach instead: Wilt it in the microwave for a minute, chop it, then squeeze it dry in paper towels.
  3. Variations:
    • Vary the proportion of the cheeses e.g. more goat cheese, less ricotta, more Parmesan, etc. If you don't like or have goat cheese, use all ricotta.
    • Vary the heat/spice in the sauce. Kick it up with more red pepper flakes or a seeded, chopped jalapeno pepper. 
    • Add other fresh herbs like basil and thyme or a dried Italian seasoning blend.
    • Instead of a plain Marinara tomato sauce, you can use a meat sauce. or a vegetarian bolognese made with plant based meat.
  4. To make ahead
    • Prep ahead 2-3 days: Make complete dish (but don't bake it). Cover well with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate. When read to serve, bake 30 minutes covered, and 10 minutes uncovered.
    • Freezing uncooked stuffed shells: Cover baking dish with stuff shells well. Freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, but add more time. Alternatively, freeze stuff shells without the sauce and cheese. Lay them on a baking sheet, flash freeze, then pile them into a freezer bag. Bake frozen with sauce and cheese. 
    • Freezing baked stuffed shell: Cool, place in airtight container, freeze for up to 1 month.  
    • Reheating: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake stuff shells with sauce and cheese, covered with foil, for 30-40 minutes if not frozen and about 1 hour if frozen. 
    • Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
 
Nutrition value estimates are for 3-4 large stuffed pasta shells per serving. 
Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1284mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5128IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 513mg | Iron: 4mg