Best Stuffed Shells
This stuffed shells recipe features cheesy, saucy shells stuffed with a delicious spinach and ricotta filling. Make these stuffed shells for dinner tonight!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
These stuffed shells are cheesy, saucy, and stuffed with the most delicious ricotta and spinach filling. I’m in love, and I think you will be, too. Speaking of love, they’re so pretty that you could serve these shells for a romantic Valentine’s dinner at home.
A few more reasons to love this recipe:
- It yields a lot of shells, so it’s perfect for serving a crowd.
- Leftovers are great for lunch, or you can freeze them for later.
- This recipe is relatively easy to make, with minimal chopping.
This stuffed shells recipe features simple and classic Italian ingredients. You’ll need jumbo shells, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, a little Parmesan, garlic and seasonings.
To make this cheesy dish more redeeming, I added an entire pound of fresh greens! You can use fresh or frozen spinach or kale. The greens yield a gorgeous, vibrant green filling with a lovely, mild flavor. These stuffed shells are honestly the best I’ve ever had, by a long shot. Keep reading for some fun variations and tips.
How to Make the Best Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Ricotta
This recipe comes together easily, with minimal chopping. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a rundown:
- First, blanch the greens. This is really easy—just dump them in a big pot of salted water and cook until they’re wilted (about 30 seconds). Using tongs, transfer the greens to a large bowl of ice water. This step preserves their beautiful, bright green color. Once chilled, squeeze all the water out of the greens and set aside.
- Cook the pasta shells in the same pot of water you used for the greens. The water will be a fun shade of greenish yellow, but the pasta will turn out perfectly. We’ll cook the shells until they’re almost al dente—in other words, we want them nicely pliable but not fully tender. They’ll finish cooking in the oven.
- Then, whip up the filling in the food processor. Since we’re blending up the garlic and chives, we don’t need to bother chopping them finely by hand.
- Stuff each shell with a generous spoonful of filling and place them in snug little rows across marinara-lined bakers.
- Spoon marinara sauce over the shells. We don’t need them completely covered. Finish them off with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, and serve.
Watch How to Make Stuffed Shells
Stuffed Shells Tips
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Bust out your largest pot and baking dish for this recipe. Ideally, use a 5.5-quart or larger Dutch oven or stockpot to boil the greens and pasta. Then, you’ll transfer all of the cooked greens to a very large bowl of ice water. Finally, you’ll need an extra-large baker (even larger than 9 by 13 inches) or a combination of two bakers like you’ll see below (say, 9 by 13 and 8 by 8).
The filling comes together nicely in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Chop up the ingredients (chop the chives and garlic finely, and the cooked greens into very small pieces) and stir the ingredients together by hand.
To save time, use store-bought marinara sauce. My favorites are Rao’s (it comes pretty close to my homemade marinara) or Newman’s Own organic. I try to avoid marinaras with added sugar, since it’s unnecessary. Or, make my homemade marinara sauce the night before (be sure to double the recipe to have enough).
Save time (and money) by using frozen greens. Frozen greens are less expensive and work perfectly well for this recipe. Just defrost them in a colander under running water, squeeze out excess water, and it’s good to go.
These shells make great leftovers! Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.
Stuffed Shell Recipe Variations
I’m completely smitten with this recipe as written below. Here are some fun ways to change it up:
- For lighter, less cheesy shells, use half as much mozzarella or omit it completely.
- For standard cheesy shells (no greens), double the ricotta, finely chop the chives, press or mince the garlic, and stir the mixture together by hand.
- For veggie shells, replace the greens with about 2 cups cooked or roasted vegetables.
- For dairy-free or vegan shells, use my vegan sour cream in place of the ricotta, and sprinkle some vegan Parmesan on top. Find more details in the recipe notes.
Craving more saucy Italian meals?
Here are a few of my favorites:
- Best Vegetable Lasagna or Vegan Lasagna
- Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables or Lentil Baked Ziti
- Roasted Ratatouille
- Italian Eggplant Parmesan
- Spaghetti Squash “Pizza” Bowls
I’d serve this recipe or any of the above with my Italian Chopped Salad—even a simplified version would be perfect.
Please let me know how your shells turn out in the comments. I love hearing from you and hope this recipe is a big hit.
Best Stuffed Shells
This stuffed shells recipe features cheesy, saucy shells stuffed with a delicious spinach and ricotta filling. Make these stuffed shells for dinner tonight! Recipe yields about 28 shells, about 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces) fresh baby spinach or baby kale, or frozen spinach or kale, or 1 ½ pounds Tuscan kale or spinach bunches, washed and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into several segments
- 15 ounces (or 1 pound) ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 8 ounces (2 cups) grated part-skim mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup (⅔-ounce) chives or green onions (mostly green parts), cut into ¼-long pieces
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (omit if sensitive to spice)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
- 3 cups (24 ounces) marinara sauce, homemade* or store-bought (I used Rao’s)
- Fresh basil for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Bring a large Dutch oven or stockpot of water to boil over high heat. Generously salt the water (use at least 2 teaspoons). If you’re not using frozen greens, fill a large bowl with ice water for blanching.
- If you’re using fresh greens, add them to the boiling water and cook just until wilted, about 20 to 40 seconds. Using tongs (leave the water in the pot), transfer the greens to the ice bath and let them cool down. Drain off the water and squeeze as much excess water from the greens as possible. Set aside. (If you’re using frozen greens, place them in a colander and run cool water over them until they’ve full defrosted. Squeeze out as much excess water as possible, and set aside.)
- Bring the water in the pot back to a boil. Gently add the pasta shells in handfuls so they don’t break on the way in. Cook until pliable but just shy of al dente, about 10 minutes, stirring often so they don’t stick to the pot. Drain off the water, return the noodles to the pot, and gently stir in the olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Set aside.
- Turn on your food processor and drop the garlic through the feeding tube. Once the garlic is chopped and stuck to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. For good measure, squeeze off any remaining water in the greens, then add them to the bowl. Process until the greens are chopped into small pieces.
- Add the ricotta and process until well blended. Add half of the mozzarella, reserving the rest for topping. Add all of the Parmesan and chives, about 10 twists of black pepper, the red pepper flakes and salt. Blend well. Taste, and add additional salt, pepper or red pepper flakes if desired. Finally, add the egg and process until blended. Set aside.
- If you have an extra-large baking dish (larger than 9×13 inches), spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce across the bottom. Otherwise, divide 1 cup marinara between a large (9×13 inches) and medium-sized baker (say, an 8-inch square). You might need to add another splash of sauce to evenly coat the bottom of the pans.
- Stuff each intact shell with a heaping spoonful (about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons) of the green mixture. Place each stuffed shell in the baker in rows. (You might have a few leftover or broken shells; save them for another use.) Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the tops of the shells. Top the shells with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover the baker(s) tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and place the bakers on the upper rack. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the mozzarella is fully melted and turning just slightly golden (you can bake longer for a more golden effect, but the greens will become less vibrant).
- Garnish the shells with a light dusting of grated Parmesan and some small or torn fresh basil leaves. Leftover shells will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze them for several months.
Notes
Recipe adapted from two New York Times recipes: Stuffed Shells Filled With Spinach and Ricotta by Martha Rose Sherman and Stuffed Shells by Ali Slagle.
*Homemade marinara sauce note: You’ll need to double my marinara recipe to yield enough for this recipe, and then you’ll have extra. If you don’t think you’ll use it up within a few days, you can freeze it for later.
Prepare in advance: You can assemble the shells (through step 7) and store the baker in the refrigerator until ready to bake. While I haven’t tried freezing the shells, they seem like excellent candidates. Let the frozen shells defrost in the refrigerator before baking. Since they’re starting off cold, they might need a few more minutes in the oven.
Change it up: For less cheesy shells, use half as much mozzarella or omit it completely. For standard cheesy shells (no greens), double the ricotta, finely chop the chives, press or mince the garlic, and stir the mixture together by hand. You could also replace the greens with about 2 cups cooked or roasted vegetables.
Make it egg free: Simply omit the egg. The egg helps the cheese set, but I’ve heard from readers that it turns out well without it!
Make it dairy free/vegan: Double my vegan sour cream recipe, and leave it in the blender. Add the greens, garlic, chives, black pepper and red pepper flakes (hold off on the additional salt). Process until the mixture is pretty well blended, and add salt to taste. Skip the egg. Follow the sauce and baking instructions as written. If desired, garnish with a light sprinkle of vegan Parmesan.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
How many boxes of frozen spinach are needed to equal the 1 pound of fresh? Sounds delicious.
Hi Peg! You’ll need 16 ounces frozen spinach.
I love this recipe and make a few minor (unnecessary) tweaks. I add cream cheese to almost every meal that uses mozzarella cheese! So I just add 8oz of cream cheese and use cottage cheese for ricotta, and blend it all together! Such deliciousness!!!
That sounds so good, Cindy! I love the tang that cream cheese provides.
I made something similar to this years ago with an almond ricotta but I lost the recipe. I can’t wait to try this (vegan) version. I already planned to make the enchiladas in your cookbook for Valentines Day, so this will have to be next weekend!
This was so delicious! Used 1/2 arugula and 1/2 spinach.
Kate,
Looks so yummy and I’ve been wanting to make this lately. I have my own recipe but I’m going to try yours because I love how you made the spinach creamy! I love spinach any way except from a can. Looks like a game changer! I made your hummus this past Fall and now my grown kids follow you! Sweet!!! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoyed this one, Cathy.
As a passionate home cook I am always dubious about a recipe with “best” in its name. However, I made this recipe following directions to a T, and man, it did not disappoint! I did do half with homemade marinara (for me) and half with homemade bolognese (for hubby) and we both devoured our meal. We have left overs for 1.5 meals and I froze another 2 servings. Vibrant colors and flavors made this a success in my home! I I’ll be looking at your recipes for other suggestions.
Curious how you think it’d be if you used fresh spinach but didn’t even cook it — I’m thinking since you’re blending it up anyway, why cook first ? Does it improve flavor or texture to cook the spinach first?
I can’t wait to make this! Yum!
Hi Aliza! Cooking the spinach (and then dunking it in ice water) makes it soft and reduces its overall volume so it blends more easily. The ice bath helps preserve its bright green color. Lastly, I think it helps reduce the moisture contained in the spinach, so your shells aren’t watery. All that said, I haven’t tried not cooking the spinach—do report back if you try it that way!
Last week I bought shells for the first time in life (they were on offer), and my thought was that for sure I’ll find something to do with them on your blog. And here it is!!! I’m so looking forward to making these this weekend :)
…anxious to try this recipe but was wondering if one would use dry curd cottage cheese or creamed cottage cheese in place of the ricotta?
Hi Linda! I think that would work beautifully. I’ve used cottage cheese in lasagna recipes in place of ricotta, no problem.
Hi Kate…thanks for your reply….just wonder which texture to use? Dry curd or creamy cottage cheese?
Hi Linda! I’m sorry for the slow response. I’ve actually never used dry curd cottage cheese, to my knowledge. Other commenters are reporting that cottage cheese is working well for them but not specifying the type (I would assume they’re using creamy).
This looks so good that I’m going to try. it. If using frozen spinach, would you still use the same weight as fresh – 1 pound?
Yes, one pound!
Valentine’s Dinner tonight was stuffed shells with a salad and bread. This is an absolutely delicious recipe. I used Trader Joe’s roasted garlic sauce, but your recipe was perfect as written. Another Cookie and Kate winner.
These look so good! I totally need to add them to the menu for next week!
This is a stunning and delicious recipe! Made last night for Valentines Day. It was a hit!
I can’t WAIT to try this recipe. It looks great!!
Making my wife a three layered strawberry cake
Thanks Soooo much for the delicious recipe and clear directions. I used half spinach and half kale. It’s a do over for sure and would be good to double for a crowd. I’m curious about other ways to use the stuffing because it was so good… thanks again, L
If you have other ideas for the stuffing, let me know! It’s so good. I appreciate your comment and review.
Super delicious – thank you for another excellent recipe!!! I was intrigued with the vibrant green color of the filling and the beautiful contrast with the red sauce, so I decided to try it Valentine’s Day. Truly named well – the best stuffed shells I’ve ever had. I found it faster and neater to pipe the filling into the shells with a pastry bag. I used my favorite Italian red sauce, and added a bit extra mozzarella on top before baking. We had them for dinner two nights in a row, and still have more. I suspect this will be my only stuffed shells recipe from here on.
This recipe turned out delicious, Kate – I made it tonight as-is with fresh baby spinach (I have a second batch in the oven as I write this, I had to make two because I have a small oven!) It’s a hit, thank you once again from Montreal!
As usual this is fantastic! I have never made any of your recipes and been dissapointed.
My daughter-in-law is a vegetarian and we made these together at our cabin this past weekend. These are the best stuffed shells we’ve tasted! Everyone loved the vibrant green colored filling and we thought cottage cheese gave it better flavor than ricotta. We loved the added flavor the red pepper flakes gave this dish, too. I also made the fresh homemade marinara sauce with the link you provided. We won’t be using jar sauce anymore! Fantastic! Thanks cookieandkate!
I made the recipe using a jarred marinara, but following filling recipe as described. It was absolutely delicious. Half of the shells I added seasoned ground beef to before topping with the spinach /cheese mixture. It got RAVE reviews. It’s hard to find recipes that I can combine vegetarian options with meat options for the meat lovers in my family. I didn’t have Parmesan, so I just used a little extra mozzarella. This is now a family favorite!!
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes!
In the MAKE IT DAIRY FREE/VEGAN notes, you said you were 85% confident about your suggestions working. I tried them and wanted to report that you can be 100% confident – it turned out wonderfully! The only downside is that the cashews in the vegan sour cream detract from the vibrant green color of the cheese version but it was still absolutely delicious!!
Wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know, Lyn—I’ll update the note accordingly.
I made this last night and it was delicious! The whole family went back for seconds. Luckily, I had set some aside for my lunch today.
These shells are amazing! I made them for our family day long weekend and they were a big hit.
We made this recipe as a lasagna, because we had lasagna noodles. Used your marinara sauce recipe, queso fresco, manchego, and mozzarella. Absolutely delicious!!!
Fantastic recipe! My guests loved it. I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta and a mix of spinach and kale. I used my homemade marinara from Oh She Glows. Will make this again (and again).
These shells are wonderful! It dawned on me later that I forgot the egg, but the filling baked and set just fine! Wonderfully creamy and satisfying!
Thanks Summer! Glad to hear they worked great without the egg!
My husband told me this is the best vegetarian meal I’ve ever made for him (and that’s out of a LOT of meals I’ve made for him, so big praise)! Our local grocery was out of the Rao’s marinara, so we used their Tomato Basil sauce instead. He had the leftovers for lunch today and has texted me several times raving about how he just can’t get over how good they were. Thanks for the great recipe!
Victory!!! Hooray! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
These shells are DELICIOUS. Made them for some meat-loving friends and they devoured it.
Your Italian salad was the perfect side, and also a hit! So good I made another batch for work lunches :-)
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Ash! I want to come over for dinner. :)
Simple, delicious, and absolutely satisfying!
This was so good! Thank you for this great recipe! Finally found a source for Gluten-Free Shells at the Gluten Free Mall online. My partner couldn’t stop eating them.
Thanks Jan! I’m glad you found some good gluten-free shells—thank you for sharing your source!
I have been looking for good shells for a long time. Once I found
your recipe and searched again, and these are great!
I tried this recipe and unfortunately, I have to give it a thumbs down. I am always leery when I see a recipe that does not saute garlic, scallions, etc. because that flavor it too pronounced, but I gave it a go anyway. Bad choice. Perhaps this recipe would work if the garlic and scallions were not overpowering the entire dish. Great meal if you want to keep vampires away.
Hi Becky, I’m sorry to hear it! The oven really tempered the garlic and green onion for my palate. If you’re generally sensitive to the flavor of such ingredients, you may want to halve the amounts.
Thanks Kate for replying. Even though this recipe didn’t work out for my family, I still enjoy your other recipes. Your granola and southwestern kale, black bean power bowl is devine! Even my 7 year old loves it!
Easy to make and oh SO good….best stuffed shells ever.
Kate, these are fantastic!! They look good and are delicious! I love that there are leftovers also! Thank you for another keeper of a recipe.
You’re welcome, Connie!
Thank you so much for your response to my very naive question. The recipe looks absolutely delicious.
My family loved this recipe. This is the first recipe that I’ve made of yours and it was delicious and healthy.
I hope this recipe brings you back to try more! I’m happy you loved it, Kelly. Be sure to let me know what you think of other recipes. :)
Loved it – thank you! I used lasagna noodles and made rolls since i had them in the pantry already. I only used 5 oz of fresh spinach, as that’s what was in the frig and it still turned out great :)
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Jackie.
This meal was incredible. Recommend using Belgioso mozz and parm. We used Rao’s sauce as noted above and chose the Arrabiata one to add a little spice. We are definitely adding this to our rotation of favorites. Thanks for all of the work you put into providing us with amazing recipes! Everything we have made from your site has been great.
No shells at the store, but husband came home with all other ingredients and Zitti. Mixed it all together, lined the dish with sauce, and topped the pasta with the sauce and cheese. Delicious!
Thanks, LB! I’m so happy to hear it. Have a great day!
Thank for sharing! I’m glad you were able to get creative.
Made these yesterday, they were assume. Thank you Kate for yet another great recipe… However, I assume my extra pan needs to be cooked before frozen? Please advise, I thinking so because of the raw egg inside the filling. Thanks again!
Hi Cheryl! I haven’t tested this one frozen, sorry! I would assume if it works frozen, baking would be better. If you try it, let me know!
your recipes and ease of following on my phone/five star !
family loved the shells tonight..
I’m not sure if the stuffing will taste too bland. Can I add some other seasoning,like: Italian blend, oregano, etc? It seems like it might be too rich without other spices. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Hi Rainee! I love this as is, but you could adjust as you see fit for your taste buds.
it’s about time i give the credit
i’ve made the :
cauliflower soup
shells
baked tofu w Brussel sprouts
enchiladas
red curry dish
and tonight the halloumi soft shell tacos
i kid you not… each dish was perfect and the family loved each one of them.
Thank you for the recipe! It’s so great!
I’m happy you think so!
Truly the best stuffed shells recipe ever! So easy to make too.
I loved this! Popular with the meat eaters as well. I am so happy I found your posts. Everything of yours I have made has been awesome. Thank you!!
Oh my gosh. This is amazing and well worth the work!!! Used 8oz fresh mozzarella that I diced myself. Instead of 16oz spinach, I used 8oz spinach and a cup of cooked diced onion/red bell pepper. Went with Raos Arrabbiata sauce because I love spicy!!! Of course another home run, Kate!
Another keeper, thank you! I made this tonight with cannelloni tubes instead of shells since that’s all I had on hand. Followed the rest of the recipe as-is and glad I did. It was lovely with a side of broccoli rabe and a fresh, homemade loaf of Italian bread. Hubby and kids both loved it and I’m sad to say there are no leftovers!
I love to hear that, Amanda! Thank you for your review and letting me know the shells were a hit.
This recipe is amazing. It will now be one of our families favorite dishes. I did add a few canned mushrooms stuffed in each shell and spread over the top. Wow, so great. Everyone needs to make this now.
Hi Cookie and Kate!
Great job in the blog!
We have tried to find organic whole grain shells. What kind do you use and where do you get them?
Thank you!
God bless you!
Hi Anne, they are actually harder to come by thank I thought! I just used regular jump shells here.
Thank you, Kate! You are so sweet and I am glad I found your blog!
Why did you use ricotta in this one and not cottage cheese? Just wondering since you love using it in the lasagna recipe?
Hi! I surprising liked it more for texture and flavor. I even surprised myself!
These were so good and I felt ok about them because it wasn’t just a glob of cheese for dinner. My father-in-law made a point of saying he doesn’t usually like cooked spinach but he went back for seconds!
I made the filling ahead of time and it kept in the fridge very well.
You need a bit of time to put this recipe together, but it is totally worth the investment. This recipe is one of my family’s favorites and the leftovers (if there are any) are even better as the flavors meld together.