Easiest Way to Cook Yummy Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells. Pasta shells are a fun option on pasta night, and a clever way to sneak in those good-for-you veggies in case you have an eagle-eyed eater. Stuff the shells with a cheese-spinach mixture, cover with spaghetti sauce and cheese, and bake until bubbly. Stuffed shells are one of my favorite meals to make.

The jumbo shells are stuffed with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, onions and garlic. In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish. You can have Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells using 20 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

1. It's 1 box (12 oz.) of jumbo shells.
2. You need of Tomato Sauce:.
3. You need 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
4. It's 1/2 of yellow onion, diced finely.
5. You need 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
6. You need 1 can (29 oz.) of unsalted tomato sauce.
7. You need 1 tsp. of each dried basil, dried parsley.
8. You need 1/2 tsp. of each salt, granulated sugar.
9. Prepare 1/4 tsp. of pepper.
10. It's of Ricotta and Spinach Mixture:.
11. It's 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
12. Prepare 2 cloves of garlic, minced.
13. It's 5 of big handfuls fresh spinach.
14. You need 3 cups of ricotta cheese.
15. You need 2 of large eggs.
16. Prepare 1 tsp. of dried parsley.
17. Prepare 1/2 tsp. of dried basil.
18. You need 1/4 tsp. of each garlic powder, salt, pepper.
19. It's 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded.
20. It's 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded.

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ricotta and the egg and process until well blended. The shells should fit into the dish in one layer.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells instructions

1. Heat a tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and cook and stir until it's fragrant, just another minute or so. Then add the tomato sauce, sugar and seasonings. Stir and allow it to come to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to med-low and let it gently simmer while you prepare everything else..
2. Start a large pot of salted water heating on high heat. Once it reaches a boil, add in the shells. Cook for 1 minute less than the time called for on the box, they will be easier to stuff this way. Once they are done, drain in a colander and immediately rinse them with cold water. This will stop the cooking process, so that they don't get any softer. Set them aside..
3. In a large skillet, heat the tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, just about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then add in the spinach and stir around slightly. Cook until it has all wilted and reduced, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. drain out any water that may have been released from the spinach, then set aside on a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle..
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese and eggs until blended together. Next whisk in the seasonings, and about 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses. By now, the spinach should be cool enough to handle. Chop it up and stir it into the ricotta mixture..
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan and spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Then, working one at a time, stuff each shell with 1 heaping tbsp. of the ricotta mixture, until all of the mixture is gone. Place each stuffed shell side by side into the pan, opening side up. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the shells, then spread over the remaining cheeses..
6. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until completely heated through. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers..

In fact, the last time I made a stuffed shells recipe was when I shared these buffalo chicken stuffed shells… a long time ago. A perfect dinner for any night of the week. Easy ricotta and spinach stuffed shells, cooked in your favorite tomato sauce and topped off with a layer of mozzarella cheese. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta cheese, spinach, basil and pepper. Fill pasta shells with cheese mixture; place in baking dish, overlapping ends slightly.