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

See the video below for cooking and assembly!

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Yield: 4 servings

Stuffed Shells

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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 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

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

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large pot cook jumbo shells according to package instruction to al dente (don’t over cook or they will break when filling)
3. 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.
4. In a large bowl add spinach mixture, cheeses, egg, basil, red pepper flakes and mix together.
5. Using a ziplock bag as a piping bag or a spoon, stuff all the shells with mixture, top with remaining Parmesan
6. In a glass baking dish spread red sauce on the bottom evenly
7. 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 10 minutes to bake time (to total 30 minutes or until warmed through)

Recommended Products

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  Lodge Enameled Skillet
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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 438Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 728mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 24g

*Note: Nutrition information is an estimate. Values vary based on different brands and ingredients*

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