Spinach Stuffed Shells

Spinach Stuffed Shells is an easy and healthy vegetarian dinner recipe that can be prepared in advance! With three types of cheese, the ultimate cozy, family-friendly meal is a hearty and satisfying meatless dish that’s perfect for hungry appetites.

How to Make Spinach Stuffed Shells | 1-Minute Video

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you’re trying to eat less meat, or if you’re serving supper to a vegetarian guest, it helps to have a few good go-to recipes that you know everyone will enjoy. These easy spinach stuffed shells do not disappoint!

Is manicotti the same as shells?

While these two Italian stuffed pasta dishes are quite similar, there are a few specific differences. Manicotti, which literally translates to “little muffs,” are large tubes of pasta designed for stuffing.

By contrast, stuffed shells are made with conchiglioni pasta, the larger version of conchiglie, which means “conch shells.” The jumbo shells have thin ridges set close together, and are typically stuffed with a combination of meat, cheeses, and vegetables. Unlike the tubes of manicotti, jumbo pasta shells can hold an amount of stuffing equal to the size and shape of an egg.

Good Sides for Stuffed Shells

Here are some easy sides that go well with spinach stuffed shells for dinner:

• Garlic Bread or Breadsticks
• 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
• Crusty French Baguette, Cheddar Chive Beer Bread, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, Pumpkin Muffins, or Pumpkin Bread
• Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
• Southern Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Broccoli or Broccoli and Cheese
• Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
• Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Sauteed Zucchini or Roasted Yellow Squash
• Fennel salad with apples and creamy cider dressing
• Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables

How Many Stuffed Shells Per Person?

I generally assume about 2-3 shells per person. Larger appetites might like 4, while smaller eaters may prefer 2. This recipe yields about 20-22 stuffed shells, and it typically feeds about 6-8 people.

Recipe Variations

• For spinach stuffed shells with meat sauce, simply add ½ lb. of cooked ground beef or ground Italian sausage to the marinara sauce.
• To make these spinach stuffed shells without ricotta, you can substitute with cottage cheese instead. If using cottage cheese, I recommend straining off some of the liquid first or using a whipped cottage cheese so that you don’t end up with a watery filling.
• Spinach stuffed shells with white sauce: substitute Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce, or try this recipe.
• If you prefer, you can use fresh spinach for this recipe in lieu of the frozen chopped spinach — but you will need a lot of fresh baby spinach! The beauty of frozen chopped spinach is that it’s already condensed, so you get a large amount of spinach at a very inexpensive price — and you don’t need to cook it before adding it to the ricotta mixture. A 10 oz package of frozen spinach is the equivalent of about a 1 pound bunch of fresh spinach. So, for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 lbs. of fresh spinach. If you’re buying fresh spinach, it’s wise to buy more than you think you’ll need because some bunches will need the stalks trimmed off and that will decrease the weight before cooking. You’ll also need to cook the fresh spinach, drain it, and squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to the cheese mixture.

Tips for the Best Spinach Stuffed Shells Recipe

• The egg is an important component of the ricotta mixture because it helps the cheese layer “set” so that it doesn’t ooze out of the pasta.
• Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
• To bulk up the dish and include even more nutritious veggies in the casserole, saute sliced mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, diced onion, garlic, zucchini, or other vegetables of choice and stir them into the marinara sauce.
• Cook the pasta shells just until al dente, since they will continue cooking in the oven.
• This recipe yields a large batch to serve 8, so it’s perfect for entertaining. If you’re feeding a smaller family, you can divide the stuffed shells between two smaller 8-inch baking dishes and freeze one for later.
• These easy spinach stuffed shells are a relatively healthy option, since they have just 329 calories per serving and they’re full of leafy green veggies and satiating protein! One serving includes more than 20 grams of protein, which is a lot for a vegetarian dinner.
• Garnish with chopped fresh herbs or sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes just before serving.

More Easy Spinach Pasta Recipes to Try

Spinach Lasagna {Quick and Easy!}

1 hr 20 mins

Chicken Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Alfredo

1 hr

Lasagna Roll Ups

1 hr

Spinach Stuffed Shells

5 from 13 votes

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

0 minutes

Total: 1 hour

Servings 8 people

Calories 329.5 kcal

Spinach Stuffed Shells are an easy and healthy vegetarian dinner recipe that can be prepared in advance!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce (about 2 ½ cups total)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch dish with cooking spray. Pour half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish. Save the rest of the sauce for later.
  
• Prepare pasta according to package instructions for al dente; drain and rinse under cold water.
  
• Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl.
  
• Add ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt, and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg or some ground black pepper, if desired. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture.
  
• Arrange stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, open side up. Pour remaining half of the marinara sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of mozzarella.
  
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil cover during the final 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to get a little bit crispy on top.
  

Video

Notes

• For spinach stuffed shells with meat sauce, simply add ½ lb. of cooked ground beef or ground Italian sausage to the marinara sauce.
• To make these spinach stuffed shells without ricotta, you can substitute with cottage cheese instead. If using cottage cheese, I recommend straining off some of the liquid first or using a whipped cottage cheese so that you don’t end up with a watery filling.
• Spinach stuffed shells with white sauce: substitute Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce, or try this recipe.
• If you prefer, you can use fresh spinach for this recipe in lieu of the frozen chopped spinach — but you will need a lot of fresh baby spinach! The beauty of frozen chopped spinach is that it’s already condensed, so you get a large amount of spinach at a very inexpensive price — and you don’t need to cook it before adding it to the ricotta mixture. A 10 oz package of frozen spinach is the equivalent of about a 1 pound bunch of fresh spinach. So, for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 lbs. of fresh spinach. If you’re buying fresh spinach, it’s wise to buy more than you think you’ll need because some bunches will need the stalks trimmed off and that will decrease the weight before cooking. You’ll also need to cook the fresh spinach, drain it, and squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to the cheese mixture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipeCalories: 329.5kcalCarbohydrates: 31.5gProtein: 20.8gFat: 13.7gSaturated Fat: 7.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 58.1mgSodium: 891.8mgPotassium: 101.6mgFiber: 3.8gSugar: 6.3g

Keyword: spinach stuffed shells, Stuffed Shells Recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Blair Lonergan

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