Ricotta stuffed shells are a delicious and filling family meal that is perfect all year long. With a homemade pasta sauce and spinach ricotta cheese filling, this Italian meal is sure to become a favorite go-to!

The best thing about these ricotta stuffed pasta shells is that you can make them in advance! Make ahead stuffed shells are a fabulous way to get an incredible dinner without spending all afternoon prepping!

Make them early in the morning, the day before, or prepare them as a freezer meal for later. When you’re ready to eat, simply bake until bubbly and dig in!

While the spinach and ricotta stuffed shells do require work to toss together, it’s honestly not that bad. The sauce, although made from scratch takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. The filling is also easy to toss together, making the hardest parts of the whole recipe the assembly and then waiting for them to finish baking in the oven. Patience is a virtue though!

I should point out that while the sauce for these ricotta stuffed shells is a quick one to make, it isn’t any less flavorful than any other. The garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest all pair well together to create a light and fresh tasting pasta sauce that will have you licking the plate clean afterward.

Every aspect of these stuffed pasta shells with ricotta, from the piles of fresh spinach to the cheese and sauce, come together to create a comforting meal you’ll want to eat over and over again.

ricotta mixture ingredients in a white bowl

ingredients needed to make stuffed shells

How to Make Stuffed Shells

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and prepare your shells by boiling them per package instructions until al dente.

How to make your sauce

In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.
Add in the garlic and the red pepper flakes and then cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and lemon zest.
Let the sauce simmer for 7 minutes.
Add in fresh herbs and let rest until needed.

How to make the filling

While the pasta is cooking and the sauce is simmering, combine all of the ingredients for the filling together in a bowl, with the exception of the spinach. Mix well.
Gently fold in the spinach leaves until everything is evenly dispersed. Note that overmixing will cause the ricotta cheese to turn green.

How to assemble your stuffed shells

In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread enough sauce to cover the bottom evenly. This helps to prevent the shells from sticking!
Place about 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each shell. Some shells may break.
Place your stuffed shells in the pan in a single and even layer.
Spoon the remaining sauce over the top of the shells.
Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese over the top of the stuffed shells.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.

What goes with stuffed shells?

Like any Italian dish, serving it alongside some cheesy garlic bread or a simple green salad is always a great idea. Other alternatives include oven roasted zucchini or some homemade breadsticks.

a baking dish full of baked shells with a wooden spoon scooping some out

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

These spinach and ricotta stuffed shells are a family favorite meal. The sauce has a unique flavor, setting them apart from any other stuffed shell recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword ricotta stuffed shells, spinach and ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed shells

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 15

Servings people

Calories 618kcal

Author Longbourn Farm • Alli Kelley

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Equipment

Redmond Real Salt

Ingredients

1 pound large shells
1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1/4 cup parmesean

For the Filling

15 oz ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
1 cup spinach finely chopped (see note)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic crushed or finely minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes about 1/8 teaspoon
30 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest about 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Boil pasta shells until just shy of al dente – they should have a bit of a bite left to them.

For the Sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet until just shimmering.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and lemon zest.
Simmer 7 minutes.
Stir in fresh herbs.

For the Filling

While the pasta cooks and the sauce simmers, combine all the filling ingredients except the spinach and mix well.
Gently fold in the spinach until evenly dispersed. Extreme mixing will turn the ricotta green.

To Assemble

In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread enough sauce to coat the bottom evenly.
Put about 1 -1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each shell. Some of the shells will break and won’t be useable, usually I end up with a few leftover.
Place stuffed shells in the pan in a single layer.
Spoon remaining sauce evenly over the top.
Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.
Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and bubbly.

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Notes

Pack the spinach in the measuring cup, you can use fresh or frozen

If you would like to freeze part of this recipe or are doubling it for freezing, just divide up the shells into portions appropriate for you or your family. Disposable pie plates or bread pans work great for this. Assemble as instructed, except the final topping with mozzarella and parmesan. I find those dry out in the freezer and are better when added fresh right before baking. Thaw before baking, or lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees and place frozen in a cold oven. I check halfway through cooking and sprinkle a couple tablespoons of water over the top if things are looking dry. Keep covered the whole time if baking directly from the freezer.

If you’d like to make this dish more hearty, adding cooked meat to the sauce or the filling is a great way to do that.

Nutrition

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Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells