In this Stuffed Shells recipe, jumbo pasta shells are filled with spinach and cheese, topped with marinara sauce and then baked until hot and bubbly. This recipe is quick to prep and perfect for making ahead.
Love baked pasta recipes? You might also enjoy this Lasagna Recipe, Baked Rigatoni and Homemade Mac and Cheese.
Why You’ll Love this Stuffed Shells Recipe
- FOUR Cheese Filling. These shells are stuffed with spinach and 4 types of cheese, so they’re ultra cheesy and flavorful.
- Easy to Make. Making stuffed shells may seem intimidating, but I promise you it’s so easy! Each step is simple, and the active prep time is less than 30 minutes.
- Meatless Comfort Food. When I think of comfort food, recipes like Chicken Pot Pie and Meatloaf often come to mind. But this stuffed shells recipe is here to prove that vegetarian meals can be every bit as satisfying and delicious (also try these Lasagna Roll Ups).
- Perfect for Making Ahead. These stuffed shells freeze wonderfully, so you can make a big batch and freeze some for later. You can also prep them a day ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.
Second time I have made this recipe and the whole family loves it. So easy and delicious. Love all your recipes!
Christine
Ingredients
- Frozen Spinach: Frozen spinach is convenient to keep on hand and easy to thaw (see my tips below). If you want to use fresh spinach, you’ll need to first wilt the spinach in a skillet with a little olive oil over low heat. Then squeeze out all excess moisture before adding the spinach to the filling.
- Jumbo Pasta Shells: When cooking the shells, use the minimum cook time listed on the package. You don’t want to overcook the shells or they may fall apart.
- Ricotta Cheese: A classic stuffed shells ingredient.
- Cottage Cheese: Lightens up the cheese filling.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Melts wonderfully. You’ll use shredded mozzarella both in the stuffed shells filling and on top of the pasta bake.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated Parmesan adds nutty, complex flavor.
- Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper: To season the cheese filling.
- Marinara Sauce: I usually use a jar of store-bought sauce to save time. If you prefer homemade, you’ll love this Marinara Sauce recipe.
To Thaw Frozen Spinach
- Refrigerator Method: Allow about 24 hours for the spinach to thaw in the refrigerator. Place the spinach in a bowl to catch any liquid.
- Microwave Method: Place frozen spinach in a bowl and thaw in 1-2 minute increments using the defrost setting of a microwave, stirring after each increment.
- Cold Water Method: Put the frozen spinach in a zip-top bag and defrost it under cold running water, or place it in a bowl of cold water (place a glass bowl on top to weigh it down), until thawed.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
Here is an overview of the steps to make this recipe. Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.
Cook the pasta shells in a pot of boiling, salted water. Then drain and place on a baking sheet to cool.
Squeeze out the spinach. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess liquid.
Make the spinach and cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cheeses, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and spinach.
Fill the pasta shells. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the filling into the shells and place in the baking dish.
Top with marinara sauce and mozzarella.
Bake until the shells are hot and the cheese is melted.
Then serve and enjoy! I like to serve these with Garlic Bread and an Italian Salad.
Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions
- To Freeze: Place the shells in a baking dish and top with the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Once completely cool, cover the dish with a lid or wrap tightly with foil and freeze. The unbaked shells can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- To Refrigerate: You can prepare the shells in advance and refrigerate them in a covered baking dish for up to one day before baking. You may have to bake the shells for 5-10 additional minutes if they are cold from the refrigerator.
- To Bake Frozen Shells: To bake the shells frozen, directly from the freezer, add about 15-20 minutes to the covered bake time. Bake until the filling is hot and the sauce is bubbly. If you plan to freeze the shells, you may want to add some additional sauce on top to keep the shells from drying out during the longer bake time.
Stuffed Shells Recipe Variations
- To make stuffed shells with meat, cook 1 pound of ground beef or sausage in a skillet. Add half of the meat to the filling and the other half to the marinara sauce. You may want to reduce the amount of ricotta cheese and/or cottage cheese so that you don’t have too much filling.
- Not a fan of cottage cheese? You can substitute it with more ricotta cheese.
- If you don’t care for spinach you can leave it out of the recipe.
- Also try these Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
Stuffed Shells Recipe
In this Stuffed Shells recipe, jumbo pasta shells are filled with spinach and cheese, topped with marinara sauce and then baked until hot and bubbly. Bake them right away or freeze for later. Freezer and make ahead directions are in the notes below.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed*
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup cottage cheese, full fat or low fat
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 6 ounces, divided
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 25 ounce jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon salt and the jumbo shells. Cook according to package directions for al dente. Be careful not to overcook the shells or they may fall apart as you fill them. Drain and place on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
- Wrap the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess liquid over a bowl or the sink. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, cottage cheese, half of the mozzarella, the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in the spinach.
- Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spoon the filling into the pasta shells and place in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil (spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the cheese) and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes more until cheese is melted and shells are hot. Serve.
Notes
- To thaw frozen spinach: (1) Refrigerator Method: Allow about 24 hours for the spinach to thaw in the refrigerator. Place the spinach in a bowl to catch any liquid. OR (2) Microwave Method: Place frozen spinach in a bowl and thaw in 1-2 minute increments using the defrost setting of a microwave, stirring after each increment. OR (3) Cold Water Method: Put the frozen spinach in a zip-top bag and defrost it under cold running water, or place it in a bowl of cold water (place a glass bowl on top to weigh it down), until thawed.
- To make stuffed shells with meat: Cook 1 pound of ground beef or sausage in a skillet. Add half of the meat to the filling and the other half to the marinara sauce. You may want to reduce the amount of ricotta cheese and/or cottage cheese so that you won’t have too much filling.
- You can substitute ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese.
- To Make Ahead: Shells can be prepared up to the baking step a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake and serve. You may have to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time for refrigerated shells.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the shells before baking for up to 2 months. Cover the dish with a lid or wrap tightly with foil and then place in freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator for a day before baking as directed above, or follow the directions below to bake from frozen.
- To Bake Frozen Shells: You can bake the shells frozen, directly from the freezer. Frozen shells will take about 15-20 additional minutes of covered bake time. They are done when they are hot and bubbly. If you are baking shells straight from the freezer, you may want to add some additional sauce to keep the shells from drying out during the longer bake time. The sauce can be poured on the shells before or after freezing.
Serving: 4stuffed shells, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 1124mg, Potassium: 670mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 4385IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 468mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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Recipe updated 8/27/23 to make a smaller quantity of shells.
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Oh my gosh, I made these for the first time, and they are so good! I bought Barilla brand pasta shells, and Barilla Marinara Sauce. In fact, I love spaghetti sauce so much, I used two jars, and because I made these just for me, I used separate covered glass dishes with lids, and froze more meals. I just poured the extra jar of spaghetti sauce over the top of each prepared dish, and then I froze them. Then, before baking, I used a little extra Mozzarella cheese over the added sauce I put on top. As I ate them for the first time, if I didn’t know better, I’d have believed they came from a restaurant. I never thought I could make anything that delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe! I passed it on to my son and his family. They are vegetarians,and I’m sure they will love this dish too. Thanks again for the great recipe!
Sharon, your comment just put a big smile on my face! I’m so glad you enjoyed these stuffed shells. I made them again for my family this week, as well! I agree, these freeze really well and sometimes I add some extra sauce too. 🙂
What would you substitute if you don’t like cottage cheese? All ricotta? Thanks!
Yes, I’d use all ricotta. Let me know how you like the stuffed shells!
I am meal prepping for a friend that is expecting a baby. Do you cover with marinara and cheese before freezing or do you freeze them plain and add the marinara and cheese right before baking. Looks yummy! I am making them today.
I freeze them with the marinara and cheese. Good luck with your meal prepping!
When freezing these, did you just put plastic wrap on a pan and place in the freezer? Could i place in a freezer bag, do you think?
Thanks! Making them tonight! I’m starting to make recipes and double them so I can freeze half 🙂
I usually put them in a pan, add some sauce and a sprinkle of cheese, and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. I think a zip-top freezer bag would work and then you could just add some more sauce and cheese on top right before baking. Freezing extra meals for later is so helpful when life is busy!! 🙂
There had not been any comments left since 2017, so I hope you still check this. I came across your recipe for the spinach and cheese stuffed shells and it sounded like something my family would love. They were all done except for the baking which I will do tonight for dinner, but it didn’t say what size spoon Or how full to put into the shells. I guess I really overstaffed them because I ended up with 12 leftover shells LOL could you please let me know how full or what size phone I should use so that doesn’t happen again because I think we’re gonna love this dish! The leftover shells won’t go to waste As I will feed them as treats for my dog over the next several days. Thank you so very much, Abby
I usually just divide the filling evenly between the shells. I would guess that I use about 2 tablespoons of filling per shell? I hope you love them!
If I have cooked shells leftover I just put them in a freezer bag and freeze them for when I make this dish again.
Can I use fresh spinach?
Yes, you can. I would recommend wilting it in a skillet with a little olive oil and then squeezing out any excess moisture.
In the ingredients it says 1 1/2 cups 6 oz grated mozzarella. Is that the exact amount, or is that a typo of some sort?
Heading to grocery later in week for ingredients; just need to know exact amount as I cook.
TY! Can’t wait to try these!
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella should weigh 6 ounces, so it’s an either/or measurement. You can measure 1 1/2 cups by volume, or 6 ounces by weight. I’ll add in parentheses in the recipe to make it more clear. 🙂
Perfect recipe! Made this for family, everyone loved it.
Kristina, I’ve just found your site and am making many of your recipes and enjoying them greatly! We especially love cheese, pasta AND spinach, so I can’t wait to try this one. But because there’s just the two of us, I need to understand the freezing directions better. Do you freeze the completed dish before baking or after? Thanks for some great ideas! We just had your chicken taco burrito bowls, and loved the combination of flavors!
I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! You should freeze the completed dish before baking. Then follow the directions to bake them when you are ready to eat them. I recommend freezing them in portions for one meal. Enjoy!
These Stuffed Shells sound & look scrumptious! I’m loving the idea of adding spinach (we love) into the cheese filling, & also love that the Nutr. Value is so reasonable for 4 shells! I plan to make these over the weekend. I’m sure my family will enjoy. If I said this before, I’ll say it again, “Your recipes are the greatest, Kristine!” Thank you very much, for helping me to keep my family well fed, with delicious & healthy meals. ?
I want to use protein plus Barilla pasta but they don’t have stuffing shells at least that I can find. Can use elbow pasta? And make it into a casserole?
Hi Megan, That would be a completely different recipe, and I can’t advise on how it would turn out as a casserole without testing it myself. This one is best made as stuffed shells. 🙂
Made this last night and my family loved it!! So easy to make! I added extra marinara sauce ( I used 1 1/2 jars) and I also added raw mushrooms before baking it. The only thing for us, next time I need to cut the recipe in half. We have a lot left over. ? But I’m going to freeze it for another dinner. Thank you for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! These freeze well, so you’ll have a yummy meal to enjoy later on. 🙂
Second time I have made this recipe and the whole family loves it. So easy and delicious. Love all your recipes!
Hello!
I’m so excited to make these! My daughter’s about to have her first baby (SO EXCITING!) and her favorite meals are anything Italian, so I’m busy making frozen meals they can just put in the oven after baby girl is born.
SO, my question is this: Can I make these using Cottage Cheese, and everything else needed to prepare these, then COVER them with aluminum foil, and put directly into the freezer?? I’m hoping so? I would rather not have to cook them before freezing…..and I’m using the “Freezer to Oven” 8 inch x 5 inch containers.
Thank you for the recipe & any help you can give! 🤗
Hi Suzanne, Congratulations on the new addition to your family! Yes, you can freeze the unbaked shells. That’s what I usually do. See the section in the post about freezer instructions for more details on freezing and baking after freezing. 🙂
Tried these for the first time and am obsessed with them. I can’t wait to make them again, a coworker was suggesting adding mushrooms to it next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Sautéed mushrooms would be a delicious addition.