Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells
This recipe is a tribute to my childhood comfort food. Growing up, I would beg my mom to make stuffed shells — lasagna’s delightful cousin — again and again. Over the years, I’ve kept coming back to my favorite combination — spinach and mushrooms — and after nearly 10 recipe trials, I think I’ve finally perfected it. Now my husband begs me to make it every fall and winter, and I happily oblige (I’m just as obsessed!). What makes this recipe truly shine is its simple steps, perfect seasoning, and versatility — it’s vegetarian, with easy options to make it vegan or dairy‑free.
Stuffed Shells Ingredients
- Jumbo Shells: You can find these at nearly any grocery store. You will need between 18 and 20 shells. I recommend throwing a few extra in case something breaks during cooking.
- Garlic cloves: Use 2-3 cloves — depending on how much you like garlic!
- Salt, pepper, oregano
Veggies & Sauce
- Mushrooms: You can use either white or baby bella mushrooms.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach is best, but you can use frozen if you’d like (just thaw and squeeze out excess water)
- Marinara Sauce: Choose whatever marinara pasta sauce you like. Sometimes I like to get pasta sauce with fun flavors like garlic, basil, or even mushroom. Occasionally, I’ll spend a few extra bucks and get the high-quality sauce from Rao’s (it really does taste better and has better ingredients).
Cheeses
- Ricotta: Depending on your preference, you can use whole-milk ricotta or dairy-free (I love the Tofutti ricotta)
- Shredded Mozzarella: You can use regular mozz shreds or a dairy-free version. I personally love Violife because it melts better.
- Shredded Parmesan: Similar to the other cheeses, choose DF or regular. Follow Your Heart has a good one.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
1. Cook Pasta
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of generously salted (1-2 tsp) water to a boil. Cook jumbo shells just until al dente (about 9–10 minutes). Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.
Tips for the Perfect Shells
Generously salting your boiling water really adds SO much flavor to the pasta.
Cook your jumbo shells to al dente. This makes them easier to stuff!
Avoid using broken shells —they aren’t ideal for stuffing. But you can save them for other pasta recipes!
2. Sauté Veggies
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms, cook 6–8 minutes until their moisture evaporates and they’re golden.
3. Add Spinach and Seasoning
Add chopped spinach, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Mix Veggies & Ricotta
In a large bowl, mix the cooled mushroom-spinach mixture with ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, and parmesan (or vegan equivalents). Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Assemble
Spread ~1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spoon filling into each shell and place them in the dish.
6. Top with Sauce
Use up the remaining sauce on top, spreading evenly.
7. Sprinkle with Cheese
Sprinkle remaining cheese (add as much as you’d like!)
8. Bake
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more, until bubbly and lightly golden on top. Sometimes I will broil for a few minutes at the end to get it a nice golden top, but watch it closely so it doesn’t burn (which I’ve done before 😭).
Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if you like.
How to Store Leftover Baked Stuffed Shells
If you have any of these yummy shells leftover, you can store them in the fridge and enjoy them for up to 3-4 days afterward. Although the pasta will soften over time, try to enjoy it within the first few days if possible. Make sure to cover the pan tightly with foil (or put them in a glass container).
Variations of Stuffed Shells
Common Questions
Yep! You can make this 24 hours in advance — just don’t coat the shells with the sauce and cheese until you’re ready to cook. Don’t prep much earlier than that, or things will start to get soggy.
Simply substitute the ricotta, shredded mozz, and shredded Parmesan with dairy-free versions. I include my favorite brands in the recipe card and above. Luckily, there’s been a lot of progress in the dairy-free cheese industry, and they taste great and melt much better!
Gently add your stuffed shells to your boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook the shells just until al dente, then rinse gently with cool water, and use a small spoon to fill them.
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Vegetarian Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
- 18-20 jumbo shells
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz roughly chopped mushrooms white or baby bella
- 2 heaping cups fresh spinach
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 16 oz ricotta (I used a dairy-free version from Tofutti)
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1-1.5 cups shredded mozzarella, divided See note* (I used a dairy-free version from Violife)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan (I used a dairy-free version from Follow Your Heart)
- 24 oz marinara sauce of choice (I like to use a high quality one, like Rao's)
- fresh basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cook the shells: Bring a large pot of generously salted (1-2 tsp) water to a boil. Gently add your shells to the water. Cook shells just until al dente (about 9–10 minutes). Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.18-20 jumbo shells
- Sauté the veggies: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms, cook 6–8 minutes until their moisture evaporates and they’re golden. Add chopped spinach, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 8 oz roughly chopped mushrooms, 2 heaping cups fresh spinach, 2 tsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, mix the cooled mushroom-spinach mixture with ricotta, 1/2 of the mozzarella, and parmesan (or dairy-free equivalents). Taste and adjust seasoning.16 oz ricotta, 1-1.5 cups shredded mozzarella, divided, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- Assemble: Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spoon filling into each shell and place them in the dish. Top with remaining sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.24 oz marinara sauce of choice
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more, until bubbly and lightly golden on top.*I like to broil at the end for 1-2 minutes to help it get that golden topping.Serve: Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if you like.
Notes
- ⭐️ Shredded mozzarella: Sprinkle over the stuffed shells to your heart’s content! The recipe suggests 1–1.5 cups total, but feel free to adjust based on how cheesy you like it.
- You can substitute fresh spinach for frozen, BUT make sure you defrost and squeeze out the excess water thoroughly. You can use 1/3–1/2 cup thawed, well‑drained frozen spinach to replace 2 heaping cups of fresh spinach.
- I love to add or switch up the veggies in this depending on what’s in season and available at my farmers market. You can try zucchini or yellow squash, roasted peppers, butternut squash or pumpkin. There’s so many options!
- If you want that beautiful golden cheesy top, consider turning your oven on broil (foil off) for a few minutes at the end. Make sure to watch it closely though or it’ll brun.
- Ricotta: I like Tofutti.
- Shredded Mozzarella: I like Violife.
- Shredded Parmesan: I like Follow Your Heart.
