Baked Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe
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Do you love Italian Comfort Food? Of course, everyone loves stuffed pasta shells. These rich and cheesy spinach and ricotta stuffed shells fit the bill. These are a delicious meatless option that the entire family will love.
Baked Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe
| Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes Servings: 4 Servings |
Do you love Italian Comfort Food? So do I! Growing up, I never really enjoyed eating spinach, but if it was placed in something I would eat it up. This Fresh Spinach and ricotta Stuffed Shells is so delicious that you hardly notice the spinach.
This dish could probably serve more people (at least six moderate eaters), but there are no boundaries when pasta shells appear at the table. It is a comfort food extravaganza. Simply put, we easily clean up the whole pan. It just tastes “like more”.
I like to incorporate veggies into recipes for a healthy boost. If you haven’t had a chance to try my Healthy Hidden Veggie Whoopie Pies it is a MUST. And my kids have yet to realize they are eating healthy veggies.
Ingredients Needed To Make Your Stuffed Shells
Please note the printable version of this Ricotta Stuffed Shells recipe with the full list of ingredients is listed below.
- 16 jumbo pasta shells + a few extra shells to allow for breakage while the pasta is cooking
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 4 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 12 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- ** Optional – red pepper flakes – for a boost in heat
How to Make Stuffed Pasta Shells
STEP ONE: First, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.
STEP TWO: Then cook your pasta shells until al dente, according to the directions on the packaging. Drain and set aside.
STEP THREE: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown (less than 2 minutes). SIDE NOTE: browned garlic can easily become burnt garlic.
STEP FOUR: Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
STEP FIVE: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, egg, and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
STEP SIX: Pour ½ cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 9×9 baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell generously with spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Lastly, remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown, and the sauce begins to bubble. Let shells rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Don’t forget to serve it with garlic bread and a fresh salad for a complete meal. Your whole family is sure to love this meal.
Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe
In this easy spinach and ricotta stuffed shells recipe, three kinds of cheese combine with quickly sauteed spinach, marinara sauce, and jumbo pasta shells for a hearty and comforting, crowd-pleasing vegetarian dinner.
Did You Enjoy Making This Recipe? Please rate this recipe with 
Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Do you love Italian Comfort Food? Of course, everyone loves stuffed pasta shells. These rich and cheesy spinach and ricotta stuffed shells fit the bill. These are a delicious meatless option that the entire family will love.
Ingredients
- 16 jumbo pasta shells + a few extra shells to allow for breakage while pasta is cooking
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 4 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 12 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- Red Pepper Flakes - Optional
Instructions
- , andPreheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta al dente, according to directions on the packaging. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown (less than 2 minutes). Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but still bright green in color. 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 and salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour ½ cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 9x9 baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell generously with spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in baking dish.
- Cover with 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 to bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Notes
This dish can be made a day in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook – use the same temperature, but add 10-15 additional minutes to cooking time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 620Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 1616mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 9gSugar: 7gProtein: 35g
If you made this Stuffed Shells recipe, we would love to hear all about it. We get so excited when we learn that you have chosen to make one of our recipes featured on Inspiring Savings. Please leave us a comment below.
Other Comfort Food Recipes on Inspiring Savings
Fajita Style Easy Chicken And Rice Recipe
Easy Weeknight Barbecue Meatloaf
Eating out is easy, and it usually tastes delicious, but it’s expensive. Making this meal at home will save you money. Add this recipe to your weekly meal plan.
I have made this before and its delicious. Going to make it next time I go to the store and get the ingredients. I don’t remember where I got the recipe from but mine says Kosher Salt and 1tbs. fresh basil-finely chopped. That’s the only difference. I’ve had my recipe for several years. Could you have changed it?
Hi Linda,
The addition of fresh basil sounds fantastic. I have updated the post throughout the years, but the recipe has remained the same.
I asked about using RAW spinach.
Hi Janelynn,
I used raw spinach for this recipe. I rough chopped it. I don’t see any other questions regarding spinach on this post. But I hope I was able to answer your question correctly.