{"id":35544,"date":"2020-02-13T15:09:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T21:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cookieandkate.com\/?p=35544"},"modified":"2024-08-30T12:08:08","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T17:08:08","slug":"best-stuffed-shells-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookieandkate.com\/best-stuffed-shells-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Stuffed Shells"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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These stuffed shells are cheesy, saucy, and stuffed with the most delicious ricotta and spinach filling.<\/strong> I’m in love, and I think you will be, too. Speaking of love,<\/em> they’re so pretty that you could serve these shells for a romantic Valentine’s dinner at home.<\/p>\n

A few more reasons to love this recipe:<\/em><\/p>\n

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It yields a lot of shells, so it’s perfect for serving a crowd.<\/li>\n
Leftovers are great for lunch, or you can freeze them for later.<\/li>\n
This recipe is relatively easy to make, with minimal chopping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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This stuffed shells recipe features simple and classic Italian ingredients.<\/strong> You’ll need jumbo shells, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, a little Parmesan, garlic and seasonings.<\/p>\n
To make this cheesy dish more redeeming, I added an entire pound of fresh greens!<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n
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How to Make the Best Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Ricotta<\/h2>\n
This recipe comes together easily, with minimal chopping. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a rundown:<\/p>\n
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First, blanch the greens.<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n
Cook the pasta shells in the same pot of water you used for the greens.<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n
Then, whip up the filling in the food processor.<\/strong> Since we’re blending up the garlic and chives, we don’t need to bother chopping them finely by hand.<\/li>\n
Stuff each shell with a generous spoonful of filling<\/strong> and place them in snug little rows across marinara-lined bakers.<\/li>\n
Spoon marinara sauce over the shells.<\/strong> We don’t need them completely covered. Finish them off with the remaining mozzarella cheese.<\/li>\n
Bake, and serve.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Watch How to Make Stuffed Shells<\/h3>\n\n
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Stuffed Shells Tips<\/h2>\n
This section features several affiliate links, meaning we’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through these links.<\/em><\/p>\n
Bust out your largest pot and baking dish for this recipe.<\/strong> Ideally, use a 5.5-quart or larger Dutch oven<\/a> or stockpot<\/a> to boil the greens and pasta. Then, you’ll transfer all of the cooked greens to a very<\/em> 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n
The filling comes together nicely in a food processor<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n
To save time, use store-bought marinara sauce.<\/strong> 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<\/a> the night before (be sure to double the recipe to have enough).<\/p>\n
Save time (and money) by using frozen greens.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n
These shells make great leftovers!<\/strong> Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.<\/p>\n
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Stuffed Shell Recipe Variations<\/h2>\n
I’m completely smitten with this recipe as written below. Here are some fun ways to change it up:<\/p>\n
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For lighter, less cheesy shells,<\/strong> use half as much mozzarella or omit it completely.<\/li>\n
For standard cheesy shells (no greens),<\/strong> double the ricotta, finely chop the chives, press or mince the garlic, and stir the mixture together by hand.<\/li>\n
For veggie shells,<\/strong> replace the greens with about 2 cups cooked or roasted vegetables.<\/li>\n
For dairy-free or vegan shells,<\/b> use my vegan sour cream<\/a> in place of the ricotta, and sprinkle some vegan Parmesan<\/a> on top. Find more details in the recipe notes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Craving more saucy Italian meals?<\/h2>\n
Here are a few of my favorites:<\/em><\/p>\n
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Best Vegetable Lasagna<\/a> or Vegan Lasagna<\/a><\/li>\n
Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables<\/a> or Lentil Baked Ziti<\/a><\/li>\n
Roasted Ratatouille<\/a><\/li>\n
Italian Eggplant Parmesan<\/a><\/li>\n
Spaghetti Squash “Pizza” Bowls<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I’d serve this recipe or any of the above with my Italian Chopped Salad<\/a>—even a simplified version would be perfect.<\/p>\n
Please let me know how your shells turn out in the comments.<\/strong> I love hearing from you and hope this recipe is a big hit.<\/p>\n
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