Stuffed Shells

Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with a creamy ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and sautéed spinach filling, then baked in a rich marinara sauce until bubbling with melty cheese. Pair with homemade garlic dinner rolls!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword stuffed shells

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 369kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

20 jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni) cooked to al dente
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
6 oz fresh spinach
1 egg
15 oz ricotta cheese whole or skim milk container
⅔ cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese freshly grated
⅔ cup parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
⅔ cup toasted salted pine nuts divided
zest of 1 lemon
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups marinara sauce we recommend Rao’s or Mezzetta brand
fresh basil finely chopped, for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Follow the cooking directions on your jumbo pasta shells package, but make sure to cook them just slightly under to al dente.
In a medium cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic and spinach with a pinch of salt and pepper together until the spinach is wilted. You can smash the spinach with a spatula to help more moisture evaporate during cooking. If the spinach leaves are large, make sure to chop it roughly.
Combine the spinach and garlic in a large bowl with the egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parm, ½ cup pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the marinara into the same cast iron skillet, stuff the shells with the spinach ricotta mixture, about 2 heaping tablespoons per shell, and place them into the sauce.
Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the marinara is bubbling and the pasta has cooked through. Remove the foil, and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, garnish with parmesan cheese, remaining pine nuts, and freshly chopped basil.

Nutrition