Description
Delicious and comforting Three Cheese Spinach Stuffed Shells baked to perfection, featuring jumbo pasta shells filled with a creamy blend of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh spinach, and aromatic herbs, all baked in a rich tomato sauce for a hearty vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 16-20 jumbo pasta shells
Sauce
- 1.5 cups tomato sauce
Filling
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 10 oz fresh spinach, chopped
- 10 oz ricotta cheese, drained if very wet
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon diced rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking the stuffed shells.
- Cook pasta shells: Lightly boil the jumbo pasta shells in a large pot of salted water for about 15 minutes, until they are just tender and easy to open. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- Sauté onions and spinach: Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the diced onions and cook until soft, approximately 10 minutes. Then add the chopped spinach and cook for a couple more minutes until wilted. Remove from heat.
- Mix filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, egg, lemon juice, diced rosemary, nutmeg, ground black pepper, and the sautéed spinach and onion mixture. Mix thoroughly. Set aside a portion of the parmesan and mozzarella to use as topping after stuffing the shells.
- Prepare baking dish: Spread about half a cup of the tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a baking dish approximately the size of a pie plate.
- Stuff shells: Using a large soup spoon, fill each cooked pasta shell with a heaping spoonful of the cheese and spinach mixture. Place each stuffed shell upright in the prepared baking dish. Continue until all shells are stuffed and placed in the dish.
- Top and cover: Drizzle the remaining tomato sauce over the filled shells and sprinkle the reserved mozzarella and parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake: Place the covered dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dish is heated through.
Notes
- Draining the ricotta cheese is important if it’s too watery to avoid a runny filling.
- Reserve some cheese for the topping to get a nicely browned and bubbly finish.
- Fresh spinach can be substituted with frozen, just be sure to thaw and drain it well.
- Adding lemon juice brightens the filling and balances the richness of the cheeses.
- Use a baking dish that fits the number of shells comfortably without crowding.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
