Classic Stuffed Shells
Let’s talk pasta!
One thing I love about meal prep, is using pasta! Pasta gets a bad reputation for being just laden with carbs and lacking in nutrients. However, that can’t be further from the truth. It’s actually the perfect medium to get more veggies on your plate and you can even utilize healthier sauces and pasta varieties. If you’re not about white pasta, you can always mix it up with healthier alternatives. Today, there are endless options!
One of the most iconic dishes is stuffed shells! The great thing about shells is that you can seamlessly mix up the ingredients or the sauce enabling you to create endless options. Bonus, this is one of the easiest recipes to throw together. Whether you use a vegan ricotta or traditional, you simply stuff the shells, throw on top of some sauce, drizzle a little on top and bake! This dish is filling, affordable and can easily be made in bulk to be enjoyed throughout the week.
Another bonus, this recipe calls for tons of spinach in the filling and you don’t even need and egg to bind the filling together!
What’s fab about this dish? Honestly, everything. It’s quick, easy, has minimal ingredients, it’s packed with spinach, flavor packed, creamy, dreamy, filling. It can easily be made in bulk (meal prep), it’s affordable, ingredients are accessible, you could pack protein in the sauce by combining it with soaked cashews, it’s not made with heavy cream like most pasta dishes or even egg which is seen in all stuffed shells, it has notes of garlic, lemon, a hint of heat, you can mix up the shells if they have healthier alternatives, it’s great for entertaining, you can use vegan cheese on top or traditional if preferred, and it’s just an all around game changing effortless recipe you have to try!
If you love a staple dish, you have to try our NEW easy Stuffed Shells!
Why this recipe is great:
Quick
Easy
Nutrient packed
Minimal ingredients
Made without heavy cream
Affordable
Sauce made in blender
Perf for any season
Can be made fully vegan
Classic Stuffed Shells
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 13 – 15 jumbo pasta shells
- 5 cups fresh spinach (1 bag)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese or vegan ricotta
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese or vegan cheese, more for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, more for serving
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, more for the pasta water
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups red sauce, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together, set aside.
- In a pan over medium heat add the garlic and cook for a few minutes until golden. Now add the chopped spinach and saute until slightly wilted but still green. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a strainer or press with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl, combine the spinach with the ricotta or vegan ricotta, parmesan or vegan parmesan, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Spread about 1/2 cups marinara in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the filling and place in the dish. Cover with additional (1/2) sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Unocver and bake for 5-10 mins. Serve with the remaining marinara on the side and additional parmesan.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
