Easy, Cheesy Stuffed Shells

The Inspiration…

I love cheese. All of the kinds. Hard, soft, sharp, mild, funky, stinky. You name it, I love it. So, of course when faced with an opportunity to eat a meal that is 65% comprised of cheese I jumped at the chance. Don’t worry. I snuck in a few veggies to balance it out a little bit. Everything in moderation! Am I right?!

These shells will be a hit for any meal. Try it for Sunday supper with the fam or an easy weeknight dinner that the kids will devour. The leftovers taste just as good, if not better, than they did the first night! No one will be able to resist that bubbly, golden brown cheese topping! This recipe can be adapted to fit your taste. Try this will a simple marinara, a creamy alfredo, or try the best of both worlds and use a blush sauce. My suggestion is to try my quick tomato sauce recipe to really wow your guests!

First things first, you want to boil your pasta shells and get them ready for all of that delicious cheesy stuffing! While those cook you can get started on the filling. The spinach, onion, and garlic really take this recipe to the next level while sneaking in some vegetables. It will never cease to amaze me how an entire bag of spinach can wilt down into almost nothing! I like to chop my spinach before I sauté it. Doing this makes it easier to evenly distribute the spinach mixture throughout the cheese and stuff it into the shells.

To stuff my pasta shells, I use a small cookie scoop. A spoon would also work, but the cookie scoop allows me to hold the pasta shell open with one hand and fill it with the other. It makes for very short work so I highly recommend this method. Don’t be stingy with that filling!! There is plenty to go around and let’s face it, we are here for the cheese!

What is more beautiful than cheese that has been broiled to a golden brown, bubbly perfection? Make sure to keep your eye on the shells while they are under the broiler. They won’t take long to brown up. You may need to rotate your dish after a few minutes to make sure you get that beautiful coloring consistently over the pan.

My favorite way to serve this is with some Italian bread and a green salad. Keep it simple. These shells will speak for themselves - since you’ll be too busy eating them!!

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Easy, Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Yield: 8

Author: Julia Goodrich

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 45 Min

These easy, cheesy stuffed shells are the perfect weeknight dinner for your family. The filling comes together in matter of minutes, and will bake up to bubbly, golden perfection! That cheese pull, though!!

Ingredients

• 12 oz Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz baby spinach, chopped
• 32 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 6 oz shredded mozzarella, divided
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan, divided
• 30 ounces sauce of your choice (Try my quick tomato sauce recipe!)
• fresh basil to garnish

Instructions

1. In a large pot, boil salted water and cook your pasta shells according to the directions on the box. Rinse in cold water when done. While the shells cook, prepare the filling.
2. In a medium pan, over medium heat, add in your olive oil, onion and garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add in your chopped spinach and cook until all the leaves are wilted and mixed well with the onion mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, salt, oregano and basil. Mix well.
5. Add in the spinach mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in about 4 oz of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan cheese.
6. Spread half of your sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 dish.*
7. Fill each pasta shell with about 1/8 cup of cheese filling. I use a 1/8 cup cookie scoop, but a spoon would work just fine. Set the filled shells into the sauced dish.
8. Once you fill all the shells, top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes. Sauce should be bubbling.
9. Finish under the broiler for about 5 minutes, so that the cheese gets browned and bubbly. Keep a close eye on the shells while broiling, as they can easily burn. You may need to turn your pan halfway through to ensure even browning.
10. Garnish with fresh basil (optional).

Notes

*The shells may not all fit into one dish. I like to make one 9x13 for dinner that night and then fill a pie tin or 9x9 pan and stick into the freezer for another meal.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

462.94

Fat

26.68

Sat. Fat

13.51

Carbs

30.48

Fiber

3.91

Net carbs

26.57

Sugar

7.84

Protein

25.45

Sodium

1150.08

Cholesterol

122.43

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.