These delicious ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are a different take on your classic lasagna. I boiled the shells first, then stuff them with a ricotta and spinach mixture, then topped them with a meat sauce and shredded mozzarella and baked them to perfection to make an easy and delicious meal your whole family will love!
If you love my lasagna stuffed shells recipe, you will love my beef and zucchini lasagna with almond flour pasta, tortellini bake with boursin and tomato, and my one pan chicken lemon orzo.
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Ingredients
- Fresh Spinach, Finely Chopped: Spinach adds in a freshness as well as vitamins, nutrients and fiber to the dish!
- Low-Fat Ricotta: a light cheese that's fairly high in protein, creamy and mild in taste. You can be substitute for blended cottage cheese.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves, Minced: You can substitute for garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic cloves on hand.
- Salt & Pepper, To Taste: Make sure to salt the ricotta cheese mixture well because it's pretty mild in flavor. The salt will help to bring out the flavors of the ricotta filling.
- Jumbo Pasta Shells
- Avocado Oil (optional)
- Lean Ground Beef: You can also use lean ground bison, chicken or turkey.
- Marinara Sauce: I used Rao's Homemade Basil Marinara, but you can feel free to use your favorite!
- Low-Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 F and set your rack to the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, add in your finely chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, minced garlic or garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Make sure to salt enough because the ricotta is pretty mild in flavor and needs the salt to bring out the flavor! Mix until everything is well combined and then set aside.
- Next, cook your pasta shells in a pot according to the instructions on the packaging. Once the pasta is cooked through, save ¼ cup of pasta water (optional), then drain the remainder of the water and then spray with some avocado oil spray to help prevent the pasta shells from sticking together as they cool down.
- In a separate pan on medium heat, add in some avocado oil (if using). When your pan is hot, add in your lean ground beef. Use a meat masher or wooden utensil to beak the beef apart and then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. Once your beef is cooked through, add in your marinara sauce and your pasta water (optional). Lower your heat and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is heated through then remove from heat and set aside.
- Grab a 9x13 ceramic casserole dish. Add in half the meat mixture to the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Next grab your pasta shells and begin stuffing each shell with around 1 tablespoon of filling. Place the pasta shells down in an even layer until you are done working through your shells and filling. Top with another even layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle with your shredded mozzarella and bake for about 18-20 minutes until your cheese is melted. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get your cheese nice and browned on top. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
Hint: You may garnish with some fresh basil if you have some on hand!
Substitutions
- Ricotta - use cottage cheese and blend it in replacement of ricotta to make a delicious and higher protein alternative (This requires an extra step, also be mindful that cottage cheese tends to be more salty, so adjust salt, to taste if you do this).
- Gluten-Free- use jovial brown rice manicotti instead of jumbo shells to make a gluten-free version of this dish.
- Vegetarian- skip the lean ground beef to make this recipe vegetarian.
Variations
- Spicy- Use an Arrabbiata sauce instead of marinara to make a spicy version of this dish!
This recipe is toddler and kid-friendly!
Equipment
All you need to make these lasagna stuffed shells is:
- A Medium Bowl
- A Medium Pot: I just bought the ceramic Caraway pot and I love it!
- A Large Pan: I just bought the ceramic Caraway pan and I am obsessed!
- 9x13 Ceramic Baking Dish: This is a similar ceramic baking dish to the one I have!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through qualifying links.
Storage
You can store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days!
Pasta
Looking for other easy pasta dinner recipes like this? Try these:
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Lasagna Stuffed Shells
These delicious ricotta and spinach stuffed shells are a different take on your classic lasagna. The shells are boiled first, then stuffed with a ricotta and spinach mixture, topped with a meat sauce and shredded mozzarella and baked to perfection to make an easy and delicious meal your whole family will love!
Equipment
- 1 Medium bowl
- 1 Medium pot
- 1 Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 Ounces Fresh Spinach Finely Chopped
- 15 Ounces Low-Fat Ricotta
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- Salt & Pepper, To Taste Make sure to salt the ricotta cheese mixture well because it's pretty mild in flavor. The salt will help to bring out the flavors of the ricotta filling.
- 6 ounces Jumbo Pasta Shells About 20 Shells
- ½ Tablespoon Avocado Oil Optional
- 1 Pound Lean Ground Beef Can be substituted for lean ground bison, chicken, or turkey
- 32 Ounces Marinara Sauce I used Rao's Homemade Basil Marinara, but you can feel free to use your favorite!
- 2 Cups Low-Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 F and set your rack to the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, add in your finely chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, minced garlic or garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Make sure to salt enough because the ricotta is pretty mild in flavor and needs the salt to bring out the flavor! Mix until everything is well combined and then set aside.
- Next, cook your pasta shells in a pot according to the instructions on the packaging. Once the pasta is cooked through, save ¼ cup of pasta water (optional), then drain the remainder of the water and then spray with some avocado oil spray to help prevent the pasta shells from sticking together as they cool down.
- In a separate pan on medium heat, add in some avocado oil (if using). When your pan is hot, add in your lean ground beef. Use a meat masher or wooden utensil to beak the beef apart and then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 160 F. Once your beef is cooked through, add in your marinara sauce and your pasta water (optional). Lower your heat and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is heated through then remove from heat and set aside.
- Grab a 9x13 ceramic casserole dish. Add in half the meat mixture to the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Next grab your pasta shells and begin stuffing each shell with around 1 tablespoon of filling. Place the pasta shells down in an even layer until you are done working through your shells and filling. Top with another even layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle with your shredded mozzarella and bake for about 18-20 minutes until your cheese is melted. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get your cheese nice and browned on top. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
- Hint: You may garnish with some fresh basil if you have some on hand!
Notes
Please scroll up to see substitutions, variations and storage tips!
Please don't forget to leave a rating and review if you try this recipe!!
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 40gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 1103mgPotassium: 940mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 2880IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 536mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Bee says
Ohhhhh my goodness, this dish is delicious! My husband wants it in our regular rotation! Thank you!
christina.klapper says
Awe I’m so glad you loved it Bee!!!! Means so much! Thanks for leaving a review!
Emily says
This was PHENOMENAL! Huge hit in our home 🙂
christina.klapper says
Awe yay!!!! So glad to hear you loved it!!!! 😍 thank you so much for leaving a review too! Means so much!
Kelsey says
Yum! Everyone in the family loved it!
christina.klapper says
So glad to hear that Kelsey!!! And thank you so much for taking a time to leave a review! Means so much!