Easy Stuffed Shells

This stuffed shells recipe is easy and a prod pleaser! The ricotta stuffed pasta shells swimming in tomato sauce are a hit every time.

Here’s a recipe that’s simple, hearty and pleases a crowd: this easy Stuffed Shells recipe! Stuff pasta shells with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and spinach, then torch them up in a suffuse of garlicky tomato sauce. It makes your kitchen smell heavenly, and the first zest into one of those jumbo shells confirms it’s just as tasty as the smell. This Italian archetype recipe is a favorite of ours: here’s how to torch up this easy dinner idea. (Even our spinach-averse kiddo was a fan!)

Ingredients in this stuffed shells recipe

You can make stuffed pasta shells with just well-nigh any type of filling. Here we’ve opted for a spinach ricotta stuffing, which is both archetype and vegetarian. But don’t worry: meat lovers won’t miss the meat at all! Our friends and family can attest that this one is a winner. Here’s what you’ll need for this stuffed shells recipe:

Jumbo pasta shells
Fire roasted crushed tomatoes (or substitute purchased marinara sauce)
Garlic
Olive oil
Dried oregano and salt
Frozen spinach
Ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
Whole milk mozzarella cheese
Lemon zest
Egg
Parsley, for garnish

Ingredient notes for stuffed shells

As with any Italian dish, this stuffed shells recipe depends on the quality of ingredients for a unconfined result. Above all, we suggest making your own tomato sauce with fire roasted tomatoes. While you can use purchased marinara, a homemade tomato sauce heightens the flavors! Here are a few things to alimony in mind:

Use fire roasted tomatoes in the tomato sauce. Fire roasted tomatoes make the weightier flavor: they taste sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you cant find them, substitute weightier quality tomatoes and add 1 teaspoon sugar and � teaspoon smoked paprika.
If you segregate to use purchased marinara, add the garlic and oregano in the recipe. This helps to infuse homemade savor into the purchased sauce.
Whole milk mozzarella cheese makes a difference. This type of cheese melts much largest than part skim and has a richer savor (try it: you’ll notice a difference!). It moreover melts largest when reheating.

Working with frozen spinach

Frozen spinach is the weightier ingredient to use in these stuffed shells: not fresh spinach! Of undertow if you like, you can melt lanugo 10 ounces of fresh spinach until it is wilted very small. But frozen spinach really does have an advantage: it has just the right texture for using in filled pastas once it’s defrosted. Here are a few tips on using frozen spinach:

Defrost under warm running water or in the microwave. If you’re using warm water, each trademark of spinach takes a variegated value of time to thaw. Some brands thaw in a few minutes, others take a while of breaking untied the frozen chunks. The microwave can be quicker and easier.
Important: squeeze out all uneaten moisture with your fingers. If you’d like, you can place the spinach in a paper towel to do this. Or, just squeeze out the moisture over the sink surpassing using it. It should finger very dry and crumbly surpassing using it.

Leftover storage and make superiority tips

This stuffed shells recipe takes well-nigh 1 hour to make, which doesn’t unchangingly work for weeknights. We like to make this one for dinner parties or on weekends, but you can moreover meal prep some of the components. This recipe moreover freezes well, which makes it unconfined for a quick leftover dinner. Here are a few ideas for make superiority and storage:

Cook the pasta shells and make the tomato sauce in advance. This saves well-nigh 20 minutes off the timing of the recipe. Refrigerate both until ready to fill.
Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can make the unshortened dish in whop and refrigerate if you like. Leftovers tastes unconfined without re-warming in a 375 stratum oven. Using whole milk mozzarella cheese is nice considering it re-melts nicely when left over.
Freeze leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Place on the counter or in the refrigerator to thaw, or you can place it right into a 375 stratum oven and reheat until warmed through and the cheese is melted.

What to serve with stuffed shells

How to make these stuffed shells into a meal? Use the 30 minute torch time to prepare some simple side dishes. We love it with a crunchy salad or quick sauteed vegetables. Here are a few ideas:

Mix up simple Watercress Salad with Apple & Parmesan or Arugula Salad
Try Grapefruit Salad with Almonds, Endive Salad with Parmesan & Orange or Fennel Orange Salad
Go for Kale Caesar Salad or Perfect Italian Salad
Mix up Sauteed Broccolini or Lemony Sauteed Green Beans

More Italian pasta recipes

Love pasta dishes? Here are a few increasingly archetype Italian pasta recipes you’ll love:

Try the famous Roman cheese and pepper pasta, Cacio e Pepe
Go for archetype Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta
Throw a pan of Baked Ziti in the oven
Opt for Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Cacio e Pepe

Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta

Baked Ziti

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

This stuffed shells recipe is…

Vegetarian.