Description
Spinach stuffed shells are a comforting Italian-inspired dish featuring jumbo pasta shells filled with a creamy ricotta and spinach mixture, topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 oz fresh spinach (or 10 oz frozen, thawed and drained)
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Cook pasta shells according to package instructions, then drain and set aside to cool.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook until wilted (or heat frozen spinach until warm), then remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, mix ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cooked spinach.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Stuff each shell with the spinach-ricotta mixture and place them in the baking dish.
- Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until bubbly and golden.
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley before serving.
Notes
- You can prepare this dish a day ahead and refrigerate before baking.
- Try adding chopped mushrooms or artichokes for variation.
- Use store-bought or homemade marinara sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 shells
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 70mg