Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Shells

By Rachel // August 15, 2014 // 56 comments //

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta. An easy and flavorful dinner for any night of the week!

Spinach-ricotta stuffed shells recipe from @bakedbyrachel

It’s so easy to get in dinner ruts, or just a rut for any meal of the day, really. But we’re talking dinner today. Typically we rotate through a lot of the same meals, as I’m sure most people do. But it’s so easy to get bored of the same stuff. Tacos every week? That can get old in a hurry.

Two things that never get old… pizza and pasta. My love for those is strong.

There are so many fun options. Whether we’re talking toppings for pizza. Thin or thick crust. Maybe even deep dish. Or when it comes to pasta… sauces, add-ins, fillings. Do you want a casserole, baked, bubbly and topped off with cheese or sauce? So many delicious options and possibilities!

Spinach-ricotta stuffed shells recipe from @bakedbyrachel

I hadn’t played around with shells in a while. In fact, the last time I made a stuffed shells recipe was when I shared these buffalo chicken stuffed shells… a long time ago. Shells were long overdue, clearly.

A perfect dinner for any night of the week. Easy ricotta and spinach stuffed shells, cooked in your favorite tomato sauce and topped off with a layer of mozzarella cheese. The entire family will love these! And a big bonus, they reheat beautifully, making them a great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Spinach-ricotta stuffed shells recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Print Recipe

Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Cheesy ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are an easy and flavorful dinner for any night of the week.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dinner, Pasta
Servings: 3 plus

Ingredients

  • 12 jumbo pasta shells
  • 10 oz frozen spinach
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 26 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 C whole milk mozzarella cheese shredded
  • Fresh basil for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Cook 12-16 jumbo pasta shells according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, microwave frozen spinach for 2-3 minutes. Break up with a fork and cook for an additional minute if necessary to heat through. Place spinach into the center of a sheet of cheese cloth. Rest wrapped spinach in a wire strainer set over a medium bowl. Allow spinach to cool before squeezing out liquid.
  • In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper and egg. Combine well. Mix in drained spinach. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • Drain pasta. Add roughly 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce to the bottom of a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Divide ricotta mixture among 12 shells. Top off with additional sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and shells are heated through. Garnish with chopped fresh basil. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe serves 3-4.
*For easier stuffing, add ricotta mixture to a large plastic bag or piping bag with corner snipped off. Squeeze filling into shells.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

Main dish
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56 Responses to “Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Shells”

  1. #
    1
    Suné Moolman — August 15, 2014 at 6:48 am

    I’m crazy about how these shells look on a plate! They look so delicious though, they won’t stay on my plate very long.

    • #
      1.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:28 am

      Thanks so much! :)

  2. #
    2
    Julie @ Table for Two — August 15, 2014 at 7:46 am

    You’re FedEx’ing this right now, right? I need dinner tonight and this seems perfect! Thanks ;)

    • #
      2.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:28 am

      Haha next time :)

  3. #
    3
    Liz @ The Lemon Bowl — August 15, 2014 at 8:17 am

    My friend just had a baby and this is JUST the type of recipe I want to make!

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Fantastic! :)

  4. #
    4
    Jen @ Baked by an Introvert — August 15, 2014 at 10:41 am

    These stuffed shells look so satisfying, even without meat. Pinned!

    • #
      4.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Thanks Jen!

  5. #
    5
    Megan {Country Cleaver} — August 15, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    I”m going to swan dive right into the middle of those shells. I’ve never craved shells like this before, I must have them!

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Thanks Megan!

  6. #
    6
    amanda @ fake ginger — August 15, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    Mmm, stuffed shells are my husband’s favorite! Maybe he’d actually eat spinach if I made this!

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:29 am

      I bet he would! :)

  7. #
    7
    Thalia @ butter and brioche — August 15, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    ooh i am totally craving pasta right now.. these look delicious.

    • #
      7.1
      Rachel — August 16, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Thanks Thalia!

  8. #
    8
    Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen — August 16, 2014 at 11:55 am

    I’m all in. Stuffed pasta is dreamy!

    • #
      8.1
      Rachel — August 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks Katrina!

  9. #
    9
    Ilona @ Ilona's Passion — August 16, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    Delicious ricotta shells for dinner:)

    • #
      9.1
      Rachel — August 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks Ilona!

  10. #
    10
    Amanda — August 16, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    I need to make this now!! So gorgeous!

    • #
      10.1
      Rachel — August 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks Amanda!

  11. #
    11
    marla — August 17, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    Soooooo in love with this pasta recipe!

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — August 17, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks Marla!

  12. #
    12
    Annie @ Annie's Noms — August 18, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    I’m just waiting for my partner to get home so we can have dinner and I so shouldn’t be looking at all this food when I’m already hungry!! This looks absolutely divine, I love spinach and ricotta together and with pasta as well? Amazing!

    • #
      12.1
      Rachel — August 18, 2014 at 4:56 pm

      Thanks Annie!

  13. #
    13
    Rebecca — August 20, 2014 at 10:31 am

    I need to make this they look delicious and just amazing!!

    • #
      13.1
      Rachel — August 21, 2014 at 7:42 am

      Thanks Rebecca!

  14. #
    14
    Janet Bradley — August 26, 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Can you add chicken to this recipe????
    It does sound wonderful, but my man likes a little meat :o}

    • #
      14.1
      Rachel — August 26, 2014 at 7:23 pm

      I don’t see why not! Certainly adapt to your liking :)

  15. #
    15
    Michelle — October 20, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    I just made this and it’s so good! Thanks for the great recipe.

    • #
      15.1
      Rachel — October 20, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  16. #
    16
    Rachael — December 9, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    Made these last night for a girls night…. everyone was impressed including myself! These are amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    • #
      16.1
      Rachel — December 9, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them! :)

  17. #
    17
    Simran — March 8, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Hey does anyone know where you get them jumbo shells in the UK

    • #
      17.1
      Rachel — March 9, 2015 at 7:24 am

      Have you tried searching online, Amazon UK etc?

  18. #
    18
    Jean — March 13, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Can this be frozen and baked when needed?

    • #
      18.1
      Rachel — March 14, 2015 at 8:07 am

      I haven’t personally attempted to freeze them. My only concern would be how the ricotta would do, but it’s worth a try!

  19. #
    19
    Carolyn — March 27, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?

    • #
      19.1
      Rachel — March 28, 2015 at 8:19 am

      While you certainly could, I wouldn’t personally recommend it for this particular recipe. The frozen is already prepped for you – no need to cook down or chop. The other issue is that with fresh, you would need a great deal of it to equal the same amount of what is in the frozen package.

  20. #
    20
    Karen — January 20, 2016 at 8:08 am

    Made this last night. It was really good, but a little heavy on the spinach for my family. I think next time I will use 5 oz, rather than the 10 oz of spinach that is listed in the recipe.

    • #
      20.1
      Rachel — January 20, 2016 at 12:42 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. And by all means, customize them for your family! :)

  21. #
    21
    Amy — September 21, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    Do you know the carb amount per serving? I am a diabetic and I use an insulin pump. I would love to try this recipe but I have to know all the values.
    Thank you.
    Amy

    • #
      21.1
      Rachel — September 22, 2016 at 7:12 am

      I don’t offer that information, but there are free online nutritional calculators you can use to figure that out.

  22. #
    22
    kay — January 26, 2017 at 10:59 am

    can these be frozen? any recommendation to reheat?

    • #
      22.1
      Rachel — January 30, 2017 at 7:27 am

      If you’ve had success freezing other pasta dishes, such as lasagna, then it would be worth trying! Enjoy!

  23. #
    23
    Debbie — February 19, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    I love this recipe. So many others want to add carrots or onions and that is just not right for this recipe in my mind. My husband likes for me to add hamburger to the sauce which is fine but yours if perfect just like it is. Thanks!

    • #
      23.1
      Rachel — February 20, 2017 at 7:27 am

      I agree, carrots would be strange with this particular dish. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it! :)

  24. #
    24
    MARIA — March 18, 2017 at 3:10 pm

    This recipe was a HIT!!! Thank you for sharing!!

    • #
      24.1
      Rachel — March 20, 2017 at 7:44 am

      So glad to hear it! :)

  25. #
    25
    Tonya — July 31, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    So, I had Kraft shredded mozzarella on hand and used it instead of buying fresh mozzarella and shredding it myself. The cheese only dried up and got hard in the oven. It didn’t melt. Ugh. I’ll know better next time!

    • #
      25.1
      Rachel — August 3, 2017 at 7:26 am

      Pre-shredded cheese never melts quite right due to what it’s coated in, to prevent clumping in the bag etc. Shredding from a block is always your best bet. :)

  26. #
    26
    Michael — May 24, 2018 at 4:40 am

    Hey Rachel,

    Can you cook this in advance?

    Like make up the ricotta / spinach mix the night before? & leave in fridge?

    Or even the whole thing in the over dish in fridge over niight? To cook next day?

    Thanks!

    • #
      26.1
      Rachel — June 25, 2018 at 7:49 am

      Absolutely! I’d say for best make-ahead results, prep the filling only. But, you could certainly try making everything ahead and then baking. Good luck!

  27. #
    27
    Kristin — September 15, 2018 at 9:50 pm

    I just made this – my husband had 3 helpings and is already talking about me making it again! “10 out of 10” he said! It was delicious and so much easier than I thought it would be. Thank you!

    • #
      27.1
      Rachel — September 24, 2018 at 7:01 am

      So glad he enjoyed it so much! Thanks for sharing, Kristin! :)

  28. #
    28
    Anna — March 16, 2019 at 7:14 am

    What a delicious recipe! Made it for lunch and loved it!

    • #
      28.1
      Rachel — March 19, 2019 at 9:34 am

      So glad you enjoyed it!

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