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Stuffed pasta shells with ricotta, spinach, and shiitake mushrooms are equally packed with veggies and classic, soul-warming comfort. Don’t miss this leveled-up take on an old favorite.
Why we love this recipe
Stuffed pasta shells are classic southern-Italian and Italian-American comfort food. Our flavorful filling is a twist on tradition, with umami-packed shiitake mushrooms lending a savory, meaty, satisfying element to this vegetarian meal. This recipe is:
- Equal parts veggie-packed and indulgent cheese-fest
- A complete meal by itself, but also plays well with others
- Equally great for a weeknight or a cozy dinner party
- Prep-ahead and freezer-friendly
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- In general, you’ll find three sizes of pasta shells. You’re looking for jumbo shells, also called conchiglioni. The size of the shells varies a little bit by brand, but any 12-ounce package will work. You may have a few shells left over.
- Shiitake mushrooms work well in this recipe because they have tons of flavor and a low moisture content. I tend to buy them pre-sliced to save time. If you’re slicing them yourself, remove the stems, which are too tough to eat.
- About the cheeses: I like to use low-moisture mozzarella, but if you like, you can slice fresh mozzarella instead. For the ricotta, I use full-fat, but you can use part-skim if you like. You can use pecorino or parmesan. Be sure to use a vegetarian version if that’s important to you.
- You can make your own sauce or use your favorite marinara from a jar. (This is the only jar I’ll use.)
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great pan of stuffed pasta shells. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain them and rinse well to remove excess starch, so they won’t stick together. While the pasta cooks, make the vegetable mixture by sautéing the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft and reduced in volume by at least half. Then add the spinach and cook until wilted.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Then add the ricotta, half the pecorino, and the salt and pepper, and mix well. Spoon in the vegetable mixture and stir again, until everything is well-distributed.
- Spread some of the sauce into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan. Fill each of the shells with some of the cheese and vegetable mixture and nestle them into the pan. You may have a few unfilled pasta shells left over.
- Top with the remaining sauce, the mozzarella, and the remaining pecorino. Bake in the center of a 375° oven for about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Expert tips and FAQs
Yup! One easy option is to omit the shiitakes and double the spinach.
If you’re in a meaty mood, try substituting a pound of hot Italian sausage for the shiitakes. As your first step, cook the sausage on medium-high in the skillet until browned and cooked through, then drain and set aside. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan and sauté the onion and garlic in that instead of olive oil, then proceed with the recipe as written, omitting the shiitakes.
This dish is a complete meal in itself, so feel free to just serve it with a glass of water, a plate, and a fork. That said, it pairs well with a simple salad (try mixed greens with our favorite balsamic vinaigrette), a loaf of crusty Italian bread, and a glass of red wine.
You can prep this dish up to 24 hours in advance. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. Bake just before serving. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Or freeze unbaked stuffed shells for up to three months. You can bake them directly from frozen. Check at 30 minutes, but you’ll probably need to add 10 minutes or more to the baking time. If the top starts to brown more than you like, you can cover the pan with foil.
More favorite baked pasta recipes
- Spinach lasagna with portobellos
- Kabocha squash lasagna
- Acorn squash lasagna
- All-American mac and cheese
- Farmers’ pasta
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Stuffed Pasta Shells with Ricotta, Spinach, and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 12- ounce 340-gram box jumbo shells
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounces (340 grams) sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- 6 ounces (170 grams) baby spinach
- 1 pound (454 grams) fresh ricotta cheese
- ½ cup 2 ounces(57 grams) grated pecorino romano cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces (227 grams) low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
- 3 cups (710 ml) marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in the center.
- Boil pasta shells in well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well to remove some of the starch and prevent sticking.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
- Add the onion, garlic, and shiitakes along with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-10 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted.
- Crack the egg into a large mixing bowl and beat well with a fork.
- Add ricotta, half the pecorino, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and mix well.
- Add spinach and mushroom mixture and mix well.
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce.
- Fill each pasta shell with some of the vegetable-cheese mixture and place in a snug layer into the baking dish, continuing until all filling is used.
- Pour remaining tomato sauce over shells and top with mozzarella and remaining pecorino.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pasta shells vary by brand. You may have a few left over, depending on how much filling you put into each one and how snugly you nestle them into the pan.
- Shiitake mushrooms work well in this recipe because they have tons of flavor and a low moisture content. I tend to buy them pre-sliced to save time. If you’re slicing them yourself, remove the stems, which are too tough to eat.
- About the cheeses: I like to use low-moisture mozzarella, but if you like, you can slice fresh mozzarella instead. For the ricotta, I use full-fat, but you can use part-skim if you like. You can use pecorino or parmesan. Be sure to use a vegetarian version if that’s important to you.
- You can prep this dish up to 24 hours in advance. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. Bake just before serving. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Or freeze unbaked stuffed shells for up to three months. You can bake them directly from frozen. Check at 30 minutes, but you’ll probably need to add 10 minutes or more to the baking time. If the top starts to brown more than you like, you can cover the pan with foil.
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Recipe variation — spinach: If you’d like, you can omit the shiitakes and double the spinach.
- Recipe variation — sausage: A pound of hot Italian sausage makes a tasty substitution for shiitakes. As your first step, cook the sausage on medium-high in the skillet until browned and cooked through, then drain and set aside. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan and sauté the onion and garlic in that instead of olive oil, then proceed with the recipe as written, omitting the shiitakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can’t wait to try it. I have some shells and ricotta left over – perfect recipe.
I have tried this recipe and it has become a family favorite. We use manicotti shells instead of the jumbo shells but the result tastes the same. Great recipe. *****
So glad, Adrian. Thanks for the comment!