Stuffed Shells Recipe – Vegetable Packed!
Posted: 01/09/2015
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This stuffed shells recipe is not only cheesy and delicious but it’s also full of vegetables so you can feel good about eating it too!
I have a habit of putting extra vegetables in just about everything. I can’t help myself.
A) It’s a good habit to be in.
B) It cleans out my fridge.
C) It gives us extra nutrition.
D) It tastes great!
The other day I was talking to my daughter (she’s four now!) and I asked her a question. I don’t remember what it was about anymore but she proceeded to state her reasoning this way:
“Well, for one _____. Two, _____. And three, ______.”
My lists are rubbing off on her.
I love that little stinker.
Anyways, back to the stuffed shells. I love this meal because it’s a good balance of decadence and nutrition. Yeah, it’s pasta and cheese. But you’re also getting tons of lean protein and colorful vegetables in there too. (PS: If you can find jumbo shells in whole wheat, let me know what brand!).
About this stuffed shells recipe
I like these stuffed shells because they look pretty impressive but they really are fairly simple to make. The list of ingredients may look a bit intimidating but it’s all pretty easy stuff. Allow a little time to spoon the stuffing into the shells. That’s definitely the most time consuming part.
The sauce is like any other spaghetti or pasta sauce – not that difficult and easy to customize to the tastes of your family and/or friends. It’s a tasty sauce that would be great on any kind of pasta. Use Italian turkey sausages or another type of ground meat, or leave the meat out entirely.
If you wanted to make it super easy, buy a couple jars of pasta sauce instead.
The filling is easy too. If you’re not crazy about ricotta, purée cottage cheese for an ultra silky texture, not as grainy like ricotta can tend to be.
Fill up the shells, cover with sauce and more cheese, and bake.
Make Ahead Tip
Make this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake it. It makes a large casserole so if you want, divide it into two dishes and freeze one to bake and eat later.
I love the picture above because it shows all the vegetable goodness of this stuffed shells recipe – mushrooms, spinach, carrots, tomatoes of course, red bell peppers, onions.
And then you cut into them and there is a wealth of delicious, gooey cheese (3 types!). Of course, the cheese is also seasoned and flavored with fresh parsley.
If you’re feeling swamped and this sounds like way too much fuss (I totally get it!) – this sauce would be amazing poured over some cheese ravioli that you can find in the freezer section of your grocery store. And if you’re feeling like you have a tiny bit of energy, you could pour the sauce over the ravioli, sprinkle some mozzarella on top, and bake that until bubbly and golden. Yum.
Enjoy!
Used in this recipe:
More pasta recipes
Craving more pasta? I don’t blame you! Try:
- Creamy Enchilada Pasta
- Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
- Pasta with Grapes and Creamy Dijon Sauce
- Rainbow Chard, Turkey, and Gruyere Skinny Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken and Spinach Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
- Tortellini with Creamy Sundried Tomato Sauce and Spinach
- Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
- Healthy Chicken Stroganoff
- Tuna Noodle Casserole (with a twist!)
- Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti from Gimme Some Oven
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
This stuffed shells recipe is not only cheesy and delicious but it’s also full of vegetables so you can feel good about eating it too!
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box jumbo shell pasta, cooked according to package, drained, and cooled on a sheet pan
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pkg. (19.5 ounces) Sweet Italian Turkey Sausages, casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 2 medium carrots, diced small
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 can (28 ounces ) diced tomatoes, including juice
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Filling:
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces shredded Parmesan, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- While pasta is cooking, begin to prepare sauce. In a very large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat butter and olive oil until butter is melted and is starting to bubble.
- Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Sauté until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up as you go. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Add in garlic and stir to combine. Add spinach, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir to combine.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook at a rapid simmer (medium heat) for about 20 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Taste and season as needed.
- For the filling, mix together ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, egg, pepper and HALF of the parmesan until combined. Fill the shells evenly (I didn’t use all the shells). Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half of sauce in the bottom of the pan. On top of the sauce, place the shells. On top of the shells, pour over the remainder of the sauce. Top with remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If cheese is browning too quickly, cover with foil (spray the underside of the foil so the cheese doesn’t stick to it).
Notes
- My pan was filled to the brim. In order to protect the cleanliness of my oven, I placed the pan of stuffed shells on top of a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any sauce that might bubble over.
- Serving size: 4 stuffed shells and sauce
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/8th of recipe, Calories: 645kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 45g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Allison Della Bella says
Can I freeze and reheat these? Should I cook and then freeze or freeze before cooking? Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
I think that would work well! I’d leave them unbaked and then thaw overnight and bake.
bev @ bevcooks says
Oh my gosh I may die if I don’t make this yesterday.
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
This looks absolutely delicious! I love that it’s packed with veggies and still seems a little indulgent and cheesy!
denise says
yummy
Tori@Gringalicious.com says
This looks so good. I’m all about adding as many veggies as possible!
p.s. Your daughter is ADORABLE!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
The more vegetables, the better!! Dying for this!
dawn says
Just curious the nutrition information for this… Seems like it could be high because of the cheese.. but all those veggies may balance it out???
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These shells are stuffed with some seriously yummy goodness! My mouth is watering… :)
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
Yum Rachel! Pasta is my one of my faves, love how this is loaded with veggies so that I can eat a giant serving and not feel guilty!
Rachel Gurk says
Yes! Love any excuse to eat a giant serving ;)
Kristy says
I love any recipe that includes a ton of veggies :) And I agree it helps clean out the fridge before veggies go to waste!
Rachel Gurk says
Me too! I almost always default to throwing vegetables in pasta sauce.