These cheesy stuffed pasta shells are filled with three types of cheese, spinach, basil, and delicious aromatics! This stuffed shells recipe is perfect for serving a large family or taking to a potluck.
Growing up any time my mom would ask me what I wanted for my birthday dinner, it would always be this stuffed shells recipe. I mean spinach, cheese, garlic… count me in!
Cooking
The most important tip to making this stuffed shells recipe, is cooking the pasta shells al dente. If the pasta shells are overcooked, they will be hard to stuff and will break apart. Remove the pasta once al dente and I even like to spray them down with cold water in the colander to ensure they stop cooking.
Stuffing
Next, in a skillet you’re going to sauté roughly chopped fresh spinach and minced garlic. Am I the only one that is always astounded when you put a WHOLE bag of spinach in the pan and then it shrinks down to fit in your palm? It gets me every time. I wouldn’t use frozen spinach, because it will make the filling watery.
After that you’re going to add the spinach mixture to a bowl, add mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, one egg, crushed red pepper flakes, and freshly chopped basil. Then mix the whole thing up until all the ingredients are combined.
Stuffing the shells
It wasn’t until maybe the 20th time that I made this recipe, that I found a better way to stuff the shells. I’ve always used a spoon, but I ended up having more on me than in the actual shells [facepalm]. Putting the stuffed shells filling in a bag and piping it into the shells is easy and less messy.
I’m not much of a baker so I don’t have piping bags, instead I used a gallon sized ziplock bag. I emptied the stuffing inside, pushed it to one corner, and cut a hole to allow the stuffing to squeeze out. Ahhhhh much better.
I spread arrabbiata sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. I like using arrabbiata because it gives the dish a nice kick. If you don’t like spicy you can sub your favorite red sauce.
If you have filling leftover, but no more room to add shells you can add some more filling to the ones that you may have skimped on. Add some cheese on top (the theme here is cheese on cheese clearly), cover with foil and into the oven they go.
Final Dish
Remove the foil at the end and broil to get cheese brown and bubbly. Top with freshly chopped basil and serve!
These stuffed pasta shells are the most requested by my family/friends when I ask them what they want me to make and I know your family will love it too!
Love this stuffed shells recipe, but looking for a low carb option? Try my stuffed zucchini rolls, which has the same stuffing with hot Italian sausage inside!
Important Tips/FAQ’s
- Cook the pasta shells al dente, so they do not fall apart when stuffing and cooking.
- You can use a spoon to stuff shells. For ease and less mess, use a ziplock bag to pipe the filling into the shells
- I use arrabbiata sauce to surround the shells, if you do not like spicy sub your favorite red sauce
- If you want to prepare in advance and freeze: Follow steps 1-5 in the recipe card. Once you have stuffed the pasta shells, place them in a freezer friendly bag. When ready to bake, proceed with the red sauce, and add 5-10 minutes to bake time
Things you’ll need:
- Pasta pot
- skillet to sauté spinach
- large bowl to mix ingredients
- gallon ziplock bag (if piping)
- large baking dish
- aluminum foil
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See the video below for cooking and assembly!
PrintStuffed Shells
These spinach and cheese stuffed shells are a cheese lovers dream! With 3 cheeses, spinach, and delicious aromatics, this stuffed shells recipe is the perfect vegetarian family meal.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop/Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1–12oz box Barilla jumbo shells
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 10oz bag 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
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, & more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 jar (24oz) of arrabbiata sauce or any red sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- In a large pot cook jumbo shells according to package instruction to al dente (don’t over cook or they will break when filling)
- In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, add garlic and cook till fragrant about a minute. Add in chopped spinach, fresh ground pepper, salt, and sauté till spinach begins to wilt. About 2-3 min.
- In a large bowl add spinach mixture, cheeses, egg, basil, red pepper flakes and mix together.
- Using a ziplock bag as a piping bag or a spoon, stuff all the shells with mixture, top with remaining Parmesan
- In a glass baking dish spread red sauce on the bottom evenly
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and low broil until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Notes
- Cook the pasta shells al dente, so they do not fall apart when stuffing and cooking.
- You can use a spoon to stuff shells. For ease and less mess, use a ziplock bag to pipe the filling into the shells
- I use arrabbiata sauce to surround the shells, if you do not like spicy sub your favorite red sauce
- If you want to prepare in advance and freeze: Follow steps 1-5 in the recipe card. Once you have stuffed the pasta shells, place them in a freezer friendly bag. When ready to bake, proceed with the red sauce, and add 5-10 minutes to bake time
Keywords: stuffed shells, spinach, ricotta, Italian, pasta, vegetarian
These shells are so delicious and the recipe was so easy to follow! This will definitely become a regular dish at our house 🙂
★★★★★
This dish is why I started to follow GWTIC’s recipes. Someone posted it and I just simply had to make it for myself and guys, OH-EM-GEE….So good!
This will always be my favorite recipe no matter what I cook! I’m so glad you enjoyed it
I just made this and it’s delicious and so easy! The recipe is impossible to mess up! New go to meal for sure! Very quick and easy to follow instructions made it fool proof even for me!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Courtney!! It’s one of my fav meals too
This is my absolute favorite recipe! It’s easy to make and everyone enjoys it! Great go-to for a smaller gathering or larger group. So delicious and highly recommend. Thanks Stef for creating a simple, delicious recipe!
Can you substitute fresh spinach with frozen spinach?
I have never tried it with frozen spinach and I wouldn’t recommend due to the excess water and different consistency frozen spinach lends
This is the second time I have made these and they’re AMAZING! This time I added some ground Italian sausage to this mix and it was a great addition. Super simple recipe that is a new staple for me.
★★★★★
I’m wondering if anyone has ever frozen the leftovers? Not sure because of the cheeses. Thanks
Hi Deb, I personally have never tried freezing the leftovers (cause there’s never any leftover haha). But I have had people freeze the shells prior to cooking and then when ready to bake, adding the red sauce and proceeding.
Could I add artichoke hearts to this dish?
Hi Lindi! I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not! I love artichoke hearts and believe the flavors would go well with the rest of the filling.