• Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Shop

Cozy Cravings

menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • SHOP
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • SHOP
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sliders.
      Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
    • lemon honey cake with slices cut out.
      Lemon Honey Cake
    • Finished pizza topped with bruschetta, balsamic glaze and shaved parmesan cheese.
      Bruschetta Pizza
    • Kale and White Bean Salad in a bowl with serving utensils.
      Kale and White Bean Salad
    • Close up whipped honey butter in a jar.
      Whipped Honey Butter
    • Shrimp scampi risotto in a blue bowl with a wood fork.
      Shrimp Scampi Risotto
    • Close up of fresh baked sprinkle cookies.
      Sprinkle Cookies
    • Close up of pancakes with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup.
      Buttermilk Pancakes for Two
    • Assembled tacos up close.
      Rice and Bean Tacos
    • Close up of muffin with glaze drips.
      Vanilla Chai Spice Muffins
    • Sliced spinach and ricotta lasagna.
      Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna
    • Close up image of sliced leek and gruyere quiche.
      Leek and Gruyere Quiche
    Home » Lunch & Dinner

    Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Pesto

    Published: Feb 15, 2022 » Modified: Feb 16, 2022 by Haley » This post may contain affiliate links

    338 shares
    • Share
    • Send
    Jump To Recipe
    Stuffed shells for pinterest.

    These Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Pesto are a delicious vegetarian meal with three cheeses, pesto, and frozen spinach stuffed into large shells and topped with sauce and more cheese. A hearty and cheesy meal the whole fam will love. 

    Jump to:
    • What are stuffed shells?
    • Ingredients 
    • Step by step instructions
    • Tips and tricks
    • How to serve
    • FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe

    What are stuffed shells?

    Stuffed shells is a dish that combines lasagna and ravioli, in a sense. It’s basically large shell pasta stuffed with a cheese mixture that sometimes contains some kind of vegetable or meat.

    The difference between stuffed shells and other stuffed pasta such as manicotti is simply the type of pasta. In this instance, it's large shells vs. manicotti (which is similar to a rigatoni but longer and with a larger hole).

    Ingredients 

    These vegetarian spinach and ricotta stuffed shells are taken up a notch with pesto!

    • Pasta: We are using the large stuffed shells for this recipe. Cook them one or two minutes short of the box instructions so they are al-dente. They’ll finish cooking in the oven.
    • Cheese: This recipe uses a combination of three cheeses: mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan. Each one serves a different purpose, so I would not recommend skipping any.
    • Spinach: To keep things simple I use frozen spinach thawed and squeezed to get as much liquid out as possible.
    • Pesto: A bit of pesto gets added to the cheese mixture and dolloped on top prior to baking - it brings a herby and major flavor kick that is so good. Either store-bought or homemade.
    • Egg: One egg helps bind the cheese mixture together so that it doesn’t ooze out of the pasta too much. 
    • Sauce: Your favorite jarred marinara or homemade sauce will be great here. 

    Step by step instructions

    Cheesy stuffed shells really are quite simple to make, they just take a little bit of patience to actually stuff.

    Prep: defrost the frozen spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can. 

    1. Cook the pasta. In a large pot of salted water cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

    2. Make the cheese mixture. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, pesto, egg, salt, and pepper. Once mixed together, transfer to a plastic bag and snip the bottom. 

    3. Stuff the shells. To a baking dish, put about ½ cup of sauce on the bottom. To each shell, squeeze in a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture and place open-side up in the baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full. 

    4. Finish assembly. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and top with a few dollops of pesto and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese (if you hae fresh mozzarella you can tear that on top instead).

    5. Bake. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350℉ until the cheese is bubbly.

    Tips and tricks

    • Make sure you boil the shells to al-dente. This is usually a minute or two before the package indicates. They will finish cooking as they bake in the oven.
    • Boil a few extra shells, some may break so it’s good to have backups. 
    • Swap fresh spinach if you’d like - sauté it and squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the cheese mixture. 
    • Add veggies or meat to the sauce - if you’re using jarred sauce you can cook the meat separately and combine it with the sauce before you assemble the dish. 
    • Instead of torn mozzarella on the top you could just add more shredded mozzarella.
    • You can use a spoon to get the filling into the shells but I find it's easier to use the bag - it gets a little messy otherwise.

    How to serve

    This dish is really hearty and filling, so I’d recommend serving with sides on the lighter side (such as salad or veggies)! This salad would be delicious, or these honey sriracha brussels sprouts. 

    FAQs

    Can I prep this ahead of time?

    Yes! You can prep the dish up to 2 days in advance. Cover and keep in the fridge until you're ready to bake. I'd recommend taking it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to bake it to get the chill off.

    Can I freeze this dish?

    Yes! Prep the stuffed shells and freeze it before baking. It can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat it in the oven at 350 for 40-45 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered.

    How do I store it?

    After baked, it can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    How do I reheat it?

    If you want to reheat in the oven bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes covered.
    If you want to reheat in the microwave do so in single servings for a few minutes until heated through.

    Can I leave the egg out?

    You can but I don't recommend it. The egg is the binder of the cheese mixture, so it just might be more runny/liquidy without it.

    📖 Recipe

    Close up shot of stuffed shells being served.

    Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Pesto

    These Stuffed Shells with Pesto and Spinach is a delicious vegetarian meal with three cheeses, pesto, and frozen spinach stuffed into large shells and topped with sauce and more cheese. A hearty and cheesy meal the whole fam will love. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4

    Ingredients

    • 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
    • 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (1 ¾ cups)
    • ½ cup grated parmesan
    • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 2 tablespoon pesto homemade or store-bought, separated
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 7 oz jumbo shell pasta (half a box)
    • 1 jar marinara sauce
    • 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese torn
    • 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350℉.
    • In a large pot of salted water cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. 
    • In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, pesto, egg, salt, and pepper. Once mixed together, transfer to a plastic bag and snip the bottom about 1 inch deep. 
    • To a baking dish, pour ½ cup of sauce on the bottom.
    • To each cooked shell, squeeze in a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture and place it open-side up in the baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full/you are out of pasta.
    • Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and top with a few dollops of pesto and a torn mozzarella cheese.
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350℉ until the cheese is bubbly. Option to broil for a few minutes to get brown on the top.

    Notes

    • Make sure you boil the shells to al-dente. This is usually a minute or two before the package indicates. They will finish cooking as they bake in the oven.
    • Boil a few extra shells, some may break so it’s good to have backups. 
    • Swap fresh spinach if you’d like - sauté it and squeeze out any excess moisture before adding to the cheese mixture. 
    • Add veggies or meat to the sauce - if you’re using jarred sauce you can cook the meat separately and combine it with the sauce before you assemble the dish. 
    • Instead of torn mozzarella on the top you could just add more shredded mozzarella.
    • You can use a spoon to get the filling into the shells but I find it's easier to use the bag - it gets a little messy otherwise.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories: 616kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 1270mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 9418IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 695mg | Iron: 3mg
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Pasta, Stuffed Shells
    Author: Haley

    More Lunch & Dinner

    • Finished soup in a bowl.
      Chicken Tomato and Rice Soup
    • Dutch oven roasted chicken served on a plate.
      Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken
    • Close up french onion mac and cheese.
      French Onion Mac and Cheese
    • Hot honey salmon in a bowl with marinated cucumbers and rice.
      Hot Honey Salmon Bites
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    HEY THERE!

    Welcome to Cozy Cravings! Happy to have you. Here, you’ll find comfort food recipes & other delicious things to enjoy and devour.

    POPULAR POSTS

    • Close up of broccoli au gratin.
      Broccoli Au Gratin (Broccoli Casserole)
    • Finished french onion pasta in a bowl.
      One Pot French Onion Pasta
    • close up image of maple candied bacon on a plate.
      Maple Candied Bacon
    • Overhead image of lasagna fresh out of the oven with sage on top.
      Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

    Breakfast & Brunch

    Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sliders.

    Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders

    Close up of pancakes with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup.

    Buttermilk Pancakes for Two

    Close up of muffin with glaze drips.

    Vanilla Chai Spice Muffins

    Close up image of sliced leek and gruyere quiche.

    Leek and Gruyere Quiche

    More Breakfast & Brunch

    Lunch & Dinner

    Finished pizza topped with bruschetta, balsamic glaze and shaved parmesan cheese.

    Bruschetta Pizza

    Kale and White Bean Salad in a bowl with serving utensils.

    Kale and White Bean Salad

    Shrimp scampi risotto in a blue bowl with a wood fork.

    Shrimp Scampi Risotto

    Assembled tacos up close.

    Rice and Bean Tacos

    More Lunch & Dinner

    Snacks, Sides, and More

    Close up whipped honey butter in a jar.

    Whipped Honey Butter

    Garlic rosemary potatoes roasted.

    Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

    Roasted green beans with parmesan and garlic.

    Garlic Roasted Green Beans

    Close up photo of marinated olives in a serving bowl.

    Marinated Green Olives

    More Snacks & Sides

    Sweet Treats

    lemon honey cake with slices cut out.

    Lemon Honey Cake

    More Sweet Treats

    Drinks

    Lambrusco spritz with olives and orange slice.

    Lambrusco Spritz

    More Drinks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    about

    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Let's Keep In Touch!

    Subscribe here for delicious recipes, updates & more!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .

    recipe index

    • APPETIZERS
    • BREAKFAST & BRUNCH
    • LUNCH & DINNER
    • SNACKS & SIDES
    • DESSERTS

    Copyright © 2025 · CozyCravings.com

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.