These 5-ingredient spinach and ricotta stuffed shells is a quick and simple vegetarian pasta dinner that is perfect for a busy weeknight or a special occasion. These easy stuffed shells provide a comforting, wholesome, flavorful treat and make the perfect 30 minute meal the whole family will enjoy.
These vegetarian stuffed shells with spinach are frequent fliers in our home and they’re likely to become the same in yours. The rich, creamy ricotta, spicy marinara, and comforting pasta make this meal a hit every single time…especially with the cook, because of how easy and quick they are to make.
Easy Stuffed Shells With Spinach And Ricotta
Five ingredients, 30 minutes, no chopping, no slicing, no cutting. You can even freeze them and have them ready for your next surprise guest or busy evening.
You can make this up in a large casserole dish or darling little single serve ramekins for each person. Whatever you choose, the recipe stays the same.
Chewy large pasta shells with crunchy baked rims stuffed with a creamy mixture of spinach and ricotta cheese floating in rich marinara sauce and sprinkled with your favorite hard cheese… Sounds like the best comfort food you can imagine.
Taking into account their impressive looks it’s amazing how easy it is to make these spinach and ricotta stuffed shells.
Is Pasta Actually Healthy?
Yes! Yes, it is. Commence the happy dancing. Pasta is actually good for you!
There’s no need at all to avoid it in your diet, contrary to popular diet fads.
In fact, the Mediterranean diet is recognized as one of the world’s healthiest diets and pasta is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, making it a staple food that pairs perfectly with other healthy foods in this diet like vegetables and healthy fats.
Being a part of a well-balanced diet, pasta is a great source of carbohydrates that give your body energy. Carbohydrates are good but eating too much of them can lead to gaining weight. Dieticians recommend carbohydrates to make up to 65% of your daily calorie intake.
However, you should use the right type of pasta for it to be beneficial for your health. Whole wheat pasta is made of complex carbohydrates that release the energy slowly, making you feel full longer. It also provides dietary fiber that improves digestion and keeps your heart and blood system healthy.
Pasta is the best for you when you pair it with protein-rich cheese, lots of vegetables packed with dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and tomato-based sauces packed with antioxidants.
This is exactly the way this recipe is. It uses ricotta cheese for protein, making the meal hearty, spinach for vegetables that has an extraordinary nutritious profile, and sugar-free marinara sauce (I recommend Cucina Antica organic marinara sauce or make your own if you have time).
Ingredients for Spinach Stuffed Shells
There is literally nothing easier than making these spinach and ricotta stuffed shells. All you need is 5 basic ingredients:
- garlic;
- spinach;
- ricotta cheese;
- large pasta shells;
- marinara sauce.
I assume you have olive oil, salt and pepper at home, so I don’t include them in the list. Additionally, you can garnish the finished dish with your favorite grated hard cheese.
How to Make Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta
Here’s the trick to not having your pasta stick to the pan: put your layer of marinara in the pan first. Don’t top the stuffed shells with sauce like a lot of people do.
To start with, preheat the oven to 180C or 350F and fill the pan (ramekins) with marinara sauce. Put it in the oven and let the sauce heat through for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente, per package directions. Cook your spinach with a little garlic and drain well to remove excess liquid before adding ricotta, salt and pepper to taste.
Once your pasta is cooked, you’ll gently fill it with the creamy spinach ricotta filling you made up while the pasta was cooking.
Top the heated sauce with stuffed shells and bake until edges are golden brown, from 15 to 20 minutes.
When the shells are done baking you can sprinkle on your favorite hard cheese like vegetarian parmesan or Romano (or a mix of both!) and enjoy.
Told you these stuffed shells were super easy!
Other Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Dinners
Are you sold on the delicious, nutritious pasta as part of your dinner now?
After you enjoy these spinach and ricotta stuffed shells, you’ll be eager to enjoy more veggies, cheese, and pasta meals.
Pumpkin pasta with spinach and mushrooms is a super popular option! And healthy vegan fettuccine Alfredo is a vegan twist on a classic dinner.
And let’s not leave out and for more family favorite comfort foods turned vegetarian delights.
Cook’s Tips
- These stuffed shells with spinach can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days. To reheat them, microwave them or warm in the oven. Don’t preheat, especially if you are using a glass casserole dish.
- Freeze the shells for up to 3 months. If freezing, better use an aluminum foil baking pan.
Recipe Variations
- Use regular parmesan for a non-vegetarian version. Just FYI, Parmesan cheese is NOT vegetarian.
- You can use frozen spinach instead of fresh. Make sure to thaw it before cooking.
- Use gluten-free pasta or whole grain pasta for this recipe.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Be sure to buy gluten-free jumbo shells.
MAKE IT VEGAN: Replace the regular ricotta with vegan ricotta and skip the hard cheese or use vegan substitutes.
MAKE IT QUICK: Make the ricotta spinach filling in advance, so the shells come together more quickly.
I created a video recipe to make things even easier for you. If you can’t see the video, disable your AdBlock for this page by clicking on the AdBlock button and selecting Don’t run on this page. Hope it helps!
What is your favorite pasta dinner? Leave a comment below! Don’t forget to give a star rating to this recipe if you like it!
5 Ingredient Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 25 fl oz or 700 ml marinara sauce
- 16 jumbo shells plus 2-3 extra ones in case some of the shells break during cooking
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 17 oz or 500 g fresh spinach See notes
- 9 oz or 250 g ricotta cheese
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- grated hard cheese to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Take a big rectangular baking pan (I used a 13 x 9 inch pan (33 x 22 cm) or individual oval-shaped ramekins. Fill the pan (ramekins) with marinara sauce. Bake for about 10 minutes to heat through.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta shells until al dente, as per instructions on the package. Drain well. Heat a lug of olive oil in a large skillet and sautée minced garlic until fragrant. Add spinach and cook for about 7 minutes or until all the leaves turn dark green. Drain it well, removing all the excess moisture (you can keep the spinach water for soups or sauces).
- Combine the spinach with ricotta cheese and stuff shells with the mixture, using about 1 tablespoon of stuffing for each shell. Place the stuffed shells on top of the marinara sauce. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!
Notes
Cook’s Tips
- These stuffed shells can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days. To reheat them, microwave them or warm in the oven. Don’t preheat, especially if you are using a glass casserole dish.
- Freeze the shells for up to 3 months. If freezing, better use an aluminum foil baking pan.
Recipe Variations
- Use regular parmesan for a non-vegetarian version. Just FYI, Parmesan cheese is NOT vegetarian.
- You can use frozen spinach instead of fresh. Make sure to thaw it before cooking.
- Use gluten-free pasta or whole grain pasta for this recipe.
Jennifer T Tammy says
OM Gosh this is one of my favorites – I love when I see stuffed pasta shells at potlucks!
Elena Szeliga says
It’s always a hit with my family 🙂 Thank you Jennifer!
Neeraj Soni says
Hii…!!
Elena,
This is Neeraj from F and B Stories, First of all, I would like to thank you for sharing such a amazing recepies with us. The Stuffed Shells are delicious and looks yummy too…!! And the combination of ingrediants like , Spinach and Ricotta in it was superb….
Keep sharing
cheers 🙂
Elena Szeliga says
SO glad you like the recipe Neeraj! Thank you for stopping by 😉
Helena says
Such a quick and simple recipe that is super healthy, too! I really like the shape of the shells – so cute!
Elena Szeliga says
Yes, they look so cute! Hope you enjoy the recipe 😉
Sara says
i had a bit of a difficult time stuffing the shells so i pureed the spinach and ricotta. it came out a light green colour but was easier for me to stuff
and tasted great
Elena Szeliga says
That’s a good idea! Thank you for sharing your feedback Sara!
jenny says
that looks amazing!!! And seems so doable.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Jenny! You are right, these shells are so easy to make 😉
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
I am ALWAYS on the look out for easy, delicious weeknight meals and these look perfect! I can’t wait to give them a try.
Elena Szeliga says
Hope you enjoy them Claire! Thank you!
Amanda says
I love that you addressed the health benefits of pasta here, because I think so often it’s a point that’s overlooked! I’m also loving the idea of using individual ramekins to bake the stuffed shells. What a cute, perfectly portioned serving, and a great way to get dinner on the table easily!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you so much Amanda! So glad you like the post!
Matt says
I love that these stuffed shells take less than 30 minutes to make! They look bloody delicious too. Well done!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Matt! Being a busy mom, 30 minute dinner meals are my lifesavers 🙂
Tamara says
Your 5 Ingredient Stuffed Shells recipe looks like a tasty, quick weeknight dinner! Perfect for a busy night… Just FYI, the marinara sauce link goes to Taco Bell fire sauce. I’m guessing that’s not what you wanted?
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you so much for noticing this Tamara! I will fix it asap!
Sharon says
These stuffed shells sound so easy and delicious. I also think that a healthy diet should include pasta especially if it has ricotta. Love this recipe.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Sharon! Pasta shouldn’t be off the table just because it contains gluten, right? 😉
Monica | Nourish & Fete says
I love making stuffed shells, but it has never even once occurred to me to prepare them in individually-portioned ramekins. I think this is so genius – it would be fun for any family dinner, but I also feel like it would elevate this comfort food to total dinner party fancy-ness!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you so much Monica! I like to serve them in ramekins for special occasions. More often I just make a double batch: a big pan with shells and a few ramekins for lunch on the next day 😉
prasanna hede says
This looks so awesome!I did not try this like ever but now I am eager to try!
Elena Szeliga says
I’m sure you’ll love them 😉
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
I will never say no to a pasta dish! I love the idea of serving them in ramekins, really original and adds a bit of class! A great weeknight recipe indeed!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Carrie! I like to serve these shells in ramekins for a date night 😉
Patty @ Patty Cake's Pantry says
Spinach is my favorite side dish to serve with tomato and pasta dishes. I suppose that’s because my mother always served it that way. I love that you added spinach to these stuffed shells. I usually only stuff mine with a mixture of cheeses. Adding spinach means I don’t have to serve a vegetable side unless I want to. I also love that this is practically a one dish meal.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you so much Patty! These memories are so precious! True that you don’t need a side dish for these shells. Makes it easier and also quicker!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
this is my idea of a weeknight dinner and leftover lunch..also, you cant go wrong with 5 ingredient dish.
Elena Szeliga says
That’s exactly the way we do it: weeknight dinner and then lunch on the next day. Saves so much time! Thank you Dixya!
maslinux says
Hi Lydia, I think it works a little better with ranchero since ricotta cheese has more liquid and it blends into the marinara making it more of a creamy sauce. It could work and I have tested a similar casserole with ricotta but I prefer the ranchero for the casserole lasagna. I do love ricotta in the regular lasagna since it is in layers and doesn”t blend as much into the marinara sauce.
Elena Szeliga says
I will try it that way next time! I didn’t notice ricotta blending with marinara though but I guess it highly depends on your ricotta. Thank you for stopping by! I’m Elena by the way 🙂
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
Stuffed shells are such comfort food for me! My mom used to make an insanely large batch to feed us all. Funnily enough, I have only made stuffed shells once. But now that I see your easy and delicious your recipe looks, I want to make it again!
Elena Szeliga says
So glad my recipe brought up these lovely memories of your childhood! Hope you can try it again soon! Thanks Elaine!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Noting beats a great pasta dish. These stuffed shells are perfect to feed a family. Also great for entertaining since they make such a great presentation. Love the filling…spinach and ricotta are a match made in heaven.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Gloria! I love these shells and every time I serve them they are a hit!
Cindy says
Looks so good and I love whole wheat pasta. Wondering if I can make this with frozen spinach?
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Cindy! Yes, totally! Just make sure to drain the liquid once it’s cooked. Hope you like the shells!