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Prepare to fall in love with this easy dinner!
These stuffed shells are filled with ricotta cheese, spinach, and herbs. It’s all tucked into jumbo pasta shells and baked with marinara and more cheese.
This stuffed shells recipe is easy, cheesy comfort food.
Savory Stuffed Shells
- Stuffed shell recipes are meatless, filling, and flavorful.
- Three cheese stuffed shells are easy but impressive to make or to gift since everyone loves a hearty and comforting casserole.
- Prepare it ahead of time and pop it in the oven after a busy day, so easy.
- Perfect as a vegetarian meal but carnivores love this recipe too!
Ingredients for Stuffed Shells
- Pasta Shells – This recipe uses jumbo shells which can be found in almost any grocery store. Feel free to swap in manicotti or turn the filling into lasagna roll-ups.
- Ricotta Cheese – This is the creamy base for the filling, for a budget-friendly option, replace it with cottage cheese.
- Spinach – Use frozen chopped spinach or replace the frozen spinach with fresh cooked spinach.
- Filling – Egg helps hold the filling together, while parmesan cheese and seasonings add flavor.
- Marinara Sauce – Store-bought or homemade marinara, either works great. For a twist, try Alfredo or cheese sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Gives that bubbly, golden top. Try different types of cheese or use an Italian blend of shredded cheese.
Recipe Variations
- Add cooked ground Italian sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, or diced chicken into the filling mix.
- Up your veggie intake with diced bell peppers, finely chopped cooked broccoli, shredded cooked zucchini, mushrooms, or shredded carrots.
- Stir in some chopped shrimp or crab meat or other favorite cooked seafood.
- Swap the seasoning for Italian seasoning or add in a few red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to heat things up.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
- Cook Shells: Cook pasta shells al dente.
- Prepare the Filling: Prepare the filling as directed in the recipe below.
- Fill & Bake: Gently scoop or pipe the cheese mixture into each shell and place in a casserole dish. Top with cheese & bake.
Add in a side of garlic bread and a tossed salad for a delicious meal!
Tips for Perfect Pasta
Stuffed shells are easy to make, here are a few tips for perfection!
- Extra Shells: Cook a few more pasta shells than you need, as some might break during boiling or stuffing.
- Al Dente Pasta: Don’t overcook the shells (rinse under cold water to stop cooking). They should be cooked al dente (firm) as they’ll continue to bake in the oven.
- Sauce on Bottom: Spread marinara sauce in the baking dish before placing the stuffed shells to prevent sticking.
- Easy Filling: A piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off makes filling the shells a breeze.
Make-Ahead Meal & Leftovers
- Prep Ahead: Assemble this stuffed shells recipe and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. If it’s chilled from the fridge, you may need to add 10 minutes of extra cooking time.
- Freezer-Friendly: When freezing unbaked stuffed shells, follow the recipe but hold off on that cheese topping. Make sure the filling is cool. Then, wrap your dish tightly first with plastic wrap, then foil. It will be good in the freezer for up to a month. To serve, thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge before baking. Add 15 minutes to the cooking time.
- Leftovers: Store leftover stuffed shells up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350°F.
More Make Ahead Favorites
Here are a few more make ahead favorites:
More Cheesy Pasta Favorites
Did your family love these Stuffed Shells? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Classic Stuffed Shells Recipe
Jumbo shells stuffed with creamy ricotta and hearty spinach, baked to perfection in a zesty marinara sauce and topped with bubbly, golden cheese!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo shells
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spritz a 9×13" baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook until al dente, per package instructions. Drain, then immediately run under cold water to stop cooking.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, ⅓ cup of Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, dried parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a piping bag or a large zippered bag and cut off ½-inch at the end.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Fill each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in the baking dish, ensuring the filling is divided evenly. You might have to squish the shells a little to fit.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with mozzarella and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
- Cook a few extra shells in case any break while filling.
- Use a piping bag or freezer bag to pipe the filling. Shells can also be filled using a small spoon.
- Prep Ahead: Assemble this stuffed shells recipe and pop them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. If they’re chilled from the fridge, you may need to add 10 minutes of extra cooking time.
- Freezer Friendly: When freezing unbaked stuffed shells, follow the recipe but hold off on that cheese topping. Make sure the filling is cool. Then, wrap your dish tightly first with plastic wrap, then foil. They’ll be good in the freezer for up to a month. To serve, thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge before baking. Add 15 minutes to the cooking time.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 429 | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1435mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5500IU | Vitamin C: 9.2mg | Calcium: 545mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Delicious!!
This was delicious and easy! Thank you!
Loved it!!! Very easy to make and everyone loved it!❤️
this dish is delicious and must try.
Hello
I would like to make this recipe, but I’m not a big fan of Ricotta so was wondering if Cottage cheese could be used instead.
Thankyou for all your great recipes, we have enjoyed many of them and look forward to making this dish.
Hi Donna, yes you can replace the ricotta with cottage cheese. I am so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes!
Great recipe. What I do is make the individual stuffed shells and then freeze them on a cookie sheet. I then freeze the individual shells in a freezer bag, 5 or 6 to a bag, and then I have a great individual meal. Just take them out to thaw, cook them with marinara sauce, and voila! dinner!
Great idea, Anne! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent!
I place the shells in the dish with the open side facing down so there are no pasta edges that can become hard if browned above the sauce/cheese. I also use a hand mixer on the cheese filling to break the curds up and evenly distribute the herbs and spinach.
Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing Robert!
So excited to try these delicious recipes out thank u
Do you mean the Parmesan cheese that comes on a block that I can shred/grate? Or do you mean the Parmesan that comes in a can grated that you sprinkle on pasta normally? Thank you!!
Either one would work in this recipe Lauren, but we used a block of Parmesan and shredded it :)
Hello
Can I freeze these before baking them with the raw egg in them?
Thank you.
Hi Carol, you can prepare stuffed shells and freeze up to 3 months. Instructions for how to freeze can be found in the post above. :)
Can I use Fresh Spinach?
Sure Fay, check out our spinach substitution guide for help on quantities :)
the link mentions cooking the spinach but I chopped it and mixed it in with the ricotta without cooking and it cooked fine during the baking process. I don’t think precooking it makes that big a difference.
Great recipe and very tasty! My husband and I loved this version!
I made extra so I could have some for later. My kids LOVED it. We ended up eating almost all of both pans. I added a little garlic to the cheese mixture and a little cottage cheese in with the ricotta. I topped with Ragu sauce (1 jar of chunky garlic and onion and 1 jar of the garden vegetable). You’ll be glad you tried this. I printed it off and added to our recipe binder so we can make it often.