Stuffed Shells Recipe

Close up of baked stuffed shells in baking dish.

5 from 3 ratings

from kristineskitchenblog.com

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.

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Total Time1

Servings: servings

Calories: 387kcal

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 9x13-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.

Video

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.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.