Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells — Jumbo shells are stuffed with a mixture of creamy ricotta cheese, fresh spinach, grated Parmesan, and dried herbs before being topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella! This easy, CHEESY recipe is great for both weeknight dinners and holiday entertaining! No one can resist shells stuffed with three types of cheese, and even picky eaters won’t mind the spinach!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for This Recipe
- How to Make Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Assemble -> Refrigerate -> Bake!
- Make-Ahead Instructions – Freezer Storage
- Tips for Making This Recipe
- What to Serve with Stuffed Shells
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells Recipe
- More Easy Pasta and Italian Recipes:
This spinach stuffed shells recipe is a family favorite Italian comfort food recipe that everyone loves!
Jumbo shells are cooked until al dente, then stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, Parmesan cheese, spinach, and a blend of dried herbs. They’re topped with a generous layer of mozzarella and marinara sauce before being baked until golden brown and bubbling.
Stuffed shells are easy enough to prepare for weeknight dinners, but they’re also great for dinner parties and holiday entertaining. No one can resist pasta that’s loaded with three kinds of cheese!
To save time, I used my favorite store-bought marinara sauce to make this recipe. However, if you have a tried and true marinara or bolognese sauce recipe that your family loves, feel free to use that instead.
Pair the ricotta and spinach stuffed shells with steamed or roasted veggies, a basic house salad, or cheesy garlic bread for a simple yet unforgettable Italian feast!
Ingredients for This Recipe
You don’t need many ingredients to make simple stuffed shells with spinach and ricotta. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Jumbo shells
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Fresh baby spinach
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Salt and pepper
- Dried herbs (parsley, basil, oregano)
- Marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade; bolognese sauce works too!)
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley or fresh basil, optional, for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Stuffing jumbo pasta shells one by one takes a little extra TLC than your average pasta casserole, but the resulting golden brown shells oozing with cheese are worth it!
Let’s review the basic steps to making this comfort food recipe:
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon a little marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish to create a thin layer.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the jumbo shells. Cook according to the package instructions just until al dente, then drain.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and spinach, then cook just until the spinach wilts.
- Let the wilted spinach cool completely before wringing out the excess liquid or moisture (I use clean paper towels to do this). Then, roughly chop the spinach.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, and dried herbs.
- Fill each jumbo shell with the ricotta filling. Place into the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish.
- After all the shells have been filled and added to the baking dish, top with remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the spinach and cheese stuffed shells until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
Make-Ahead Instructions – Freezer Storage
Spinach ricotta stuffed shells are a fantastic make-ahead dinner that you can keep stashed in your freezer until you’re ready to bake and serve them.
You have two options for freezing the assembled stuffed shells:
- Freeze fully assembled in the sauce: Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture as instructed. Place in a freezer-safe baking dish, top with marinara sauce and mozzarella, then wrap the entire pan with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before baking as instructed. Note – You will need more room in your freezer if you opt for this option if compared to option 2, below. ⬇️
- Freeze just the stuffed shells (without sauce): Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture as instructed. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour to harden. Once firm, transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in a baking dish, then top with marinara and mozzarella before baking.
What to Serve with Stuffed Shells
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Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 ½ cups jarred marinara sauce, from a 24 ounce jar, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Tip – I prefer a ceramic or porcelain baking dish as opposed to a standard 9×13-inch metal pan, although it will work, noting baking time may be slightly reduced.
Shells
- To a large pot, add water, bring to a boil, and cook the shells according to package directions for al dente. Likely about 10 to 12 minutes. When they're finished, drain, rinse with cold water, optionally (but recommended) drizzle them with a bit of olive oil so they don't stick, and set aside. While shells are boiling, prep the spinach.
Spinach
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, garlic, spinach, and saute over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until spinach has wilted and garlic is fragrant; stir nearly constantly so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Turn off the heat, place the skillet on an unused/cool burner, and let the spinach mixture cool for about 5 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, using paper towels, squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Place the spinach on a cutting board and finely chop it.
Filling Mixture
- Place the spinach in a large bowl along with the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, and stir to combine. Taste and if desired, adjust the seasoning balance, adding more salt, pepper, or herbs as desired. Tip – If you have fresh herbs on hand, feel free to use them rather than dried. I suggest about 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh herbs if you are replacing 1/2 teaspoon dried (which is more concentrated and potent).
Assembly
- Add about 3-4 tablespoons of marinara sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish and smooth to create an thin layer of sauce. Tip – You can use store bought sauce or your favorite homemade marinara or bolognese sauce.
- Fill each jumbo shell with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, placing each filled shell in the prepared pan, until all shells have been filled.
- Evenly pour about 2+ cups of the marinara sauce over the shells. Note – You may or may not use all 24 ounces of sauce (2 1/2 cups = 20 ounces sauce, plus a few ounces used in the base of the baking dish), but you'll likely come close. It also depends how saucy you like things, so add to taste.
- Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top. If you plan to bake now, skip the Making In Advance section, and just move on to baking.
Making In Advance
- If you are prepping this in advance (up to 24-48 hours) before you plan to bake it, stop now, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. You can also freeze this, assembled, before baking it off, noting you need enough space in your freezer to accomodate a casserole dish. You can also carefully freeze the stuffed shells in a large ziptop freezer bag, without adding the sauce and mozzarella, just the stuffed shells. This requires less storage space since you're dealing with a bag of shells, not a rigid casserole dish.
Baking
- Bake for about 30 minutes on the center rack, or until the edges are bubbling, and the cheese is as lightly golden browned as desired. Rotate your pan once midway through baking for the most evenly baked shells. Note – If you refrigerated your casserole dish with the assembled shells, marinara sauce and cheese over the shells as a make-ahead option, make sure to take it out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before you plan to bake and let it sit on your counter because a very cold baking/casserole dish will add a lot of unnecessary time to the baking process. If you froze it, thaw thoroughly before baking.
Storage
- Leftover shells will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds, or as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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