Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach & Ricotta (2024)

These ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are packed with flavour and so easy to make. Giant pasta shells are stuffed with a tasty ricotta and spinach filling. The shells are then topped with mozzarella and cooked in a rich tomato sauce. This is such a great vegetarian dinner and a firm family favourite in my house!

I've been making this dish for some time now and it quickly became one of the most requested dinners in my house, everyone loves this. It's cosy, tasty and filling.

The giant past shells are filled with a delicious spinach and ricotta filling. They are placed on a rich and tasty tomato sauce then topped with mozzarella and cooked in the oven until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Perfect cosy comfort food!

These stuffed shells are perfect for making ahead and cooking later. They're freezer friendly and are great for a weekend meal prep. It's such a great meal for busy times, just prep ahead then pop it in the oven when you need it.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells - I mean what's not to love? Giant pasta shells stuffed with the best cheesy filling, will satisfy all pasta lovers, trust me!
• That Ricotta and Spinach Filling - it's cheesy, with a hint of garlic and plenty of spinach. But don't worry even spinach-hating kids love this!
• The BEST Tomato Sauce - this homemade tomato sauce is deliciously rich and tangy and perfect for these stuffed shells.

Ingredients Needed

• Tomatoes - I use two cans of chopped (diced) tomatoes, you can use pasatta if you prefer. I like the sauce to be on the chunky side so prefer chopped tomatoes.
• Onion - One large onion is perfect for this sauce, I use brown onions and they should be chopped finely.
• Pasta - You will need giant pasta shells for this dish, also known asConchiglioni. You should find these shells in most large supermarkets. I have always found these in Sainsburys (UK) but rarely in Tesco.
• Spinach - I use fresh baby spinach but you can use frozen if you want. If you use frozen you'll need to use more than the amount listed. I would add another 1 + ⅔ cup or 50g.
• Cheese - You will need, ricotta, mozzarelle and a vegetarian Italian hard cheese such as pecorinio. All the cheese is full fat, it will give you the best results. You can use low fat if you like.
• Other Ingredients - you will also need dried oregano, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, tomato puree, olive oil, garlic, grated nutmeg and salt and black pepper.

How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

1. Cook the spinach.Wilt the spinach in a pan, you'll need toadd half the spinach first, let that wilt then add the remaining spinach. Leave it to cool then squeeze as much water out of it then roughly chop it.

2. Making the sauce. Cook the onion until it is translucent, then add the garlic and oregano. Add the chopped tomatoes to the onions, I always add about half a cup of water to the can, give it a good swirl then add that to the pan with the tomatoes. This catches any tomatoes left in the can. Stir in the tomato puree and balsamic vinegar. Leave the sauce to simmer until it reduces.While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta shells until they are just under al dente, about 5 minutes less than the packet cooking time. Drain them then rinse then under the cold tap.

3. Add the ricotta, peccorini, spinach, galric and a small pinch of nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and mix well.

4. Fill the pasta shells with the spinach and ricotta filling. Be careful not to overfill them. Then place them on top of the sauce. Top the shells with the grated mozzarella, some grated peccorino then bake until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

Expert Tips

• Sauce - We like the sauce on the chunky side but you can blend the sauce if you want a smoother sauce.
• Slightly undercook the pasta, the shells are easier to fill when undercooked, this also stops the pasta from going rubbery when they are baked.
• Cook an extra couple of shells! Shells break and split sometimes, so it's safer to have a few extra just in case.
• Cook your spinach first - It's important to cook the spianch and squeze out as much water as you can. If you don't do this this it will make the pasta soggy. I use fresh spinach for this, I find it gives the best results. You can use frozen if you want though, you will need to add about 50g or ⅔ of a cup more than stated in the recipe.

What to Serve with Stuffed Shells

If we're having this during the week we usually have garlic bread with it. If we're going all out for an Italian feast or dinner party I'll serve some Tomato Bruschetta to start along with a nice crisp salad. And to finish, a lovely Spiced Pear Crumble.

FAQs

Recipe Variations

• Add more vegetables - This is a great recipe for adding in more veggies, you could try adding in some chopped cooked mushrooms, courgette or peppers. Or try my Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells for a tasty but differnet take.
• Add more protein - try adding some lentils to the tomato sauce! Red lentils work well but puy lentil will work best.
• Want more cheese? Go ahead and add some grated mozzarella or add some mascapone too!

More Tasty Weeknight Dinners

If you're in need of more pasta inspiration then try my Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake, this is such a great weeknight pasta dinner, the whole family will love this one! And if you're a mushroom lover then try my Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach, this is one of my favourites, it's lovely and creamy and very tasty. And if you're a fan of a good soup then check out my Vegetable Orzo Soup it's filling enough for dinner and very tasty.

*First posted November 2019, updated October 2022 with new photos and recipe adjustment.