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Spinach Stuffed Shells

April 4, 2017 By Vicky 25 Comments

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I love cooking with fresh springtime ingredients and spinach is one of my favorite ones to use. I use spinach in salads, soups, egg dishes, and lasagna. Recently, I decided to add fresh spinach to one of our favorite meals, stuffed shells. The great thing about this recipe is that if you have family that won’t touch spinach, you can introduce it in a familiar and well loved meal like stuffed shells. They will be much more likely to give it a try. Thanks to Bounty for sponsoring this Spinach Stuffed Shells post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Have a picky eater who will not touch veggies? Try this recipe for Spinach Stuffed Shells and get kids to try spinach in a familiar dish. #AD #QuickerPickerUpper

There is nothing quite like fresh spring vegetables. The taste, the scent, and the bold colors just get me excited about a new season. On my last trip to a local farmers market, I found some beautiful spinach and I could not wait to run home and use it in a springtime recipe. The decision to make stuffed shells was an easy one as it is one recipe that the entire family (even the kids) loves. What my kids love less are vegetables, so getting them to eat spinach is a challenge. But it becomes easier when I mix the spinach with lots of cheesy goodness.

  Spinach Stuffed Shells

I started by boiling the shells. I cooked them for 6-7 minutes only since I wanted the shells to remain firm and not fall apart when I stuffed them.

To make the filling for our spinach stuffed shells, I cooked the spinach and minced garlic in olive oil. This smelled so good!

spinach stuffed shells

Next, I mixed the cooked spinach with ricotta, mozzarella and some traditional Italian spices.

spinach stuffed shells

Then I spread some marinara sauce in a 9×13 casserole dish. I stuffed the shells with the cheese and spinach mixture and placed them in the casserole dish. I made 20 shells which makes four servings.

spinach stuffed shells

Then it was time to pour marinara sauce on top and add more mozzarella cheese because who doesn’t love more cheese?

spinach stuffed shells

This spinach stuffed shells recipe takes just 30 minutes to cook up in the oven. I like serving it with a salad and some Italian bread. Yum!

Have a picky eater who will not touch veggies? Try this recipe for Spinach Stuffed Shells and get kids to try spinach in a familiar dish. #AD #QuickerPickerUpper

While this recipe is easy and delicious, it does not come together without a mess. I had olive oil drippings and sauce spills to contend with after this meal. But I don’t need to stress out about any mess that occurs during springtime cooking because I have Bounty at my side to quickly pick up the mess.

Since Bounty is a more absorbent paper towel, the roll lasts longer and you don’t need to use as much to tackle all of the saucy, cheesy mess that comes with spring cooking.

spinach stuffed shells

Bounty’s quickness and absorbency made this mess go away real quick and my family made the spinach stuffed shells disappear just as fast!

Spinach Stuffed Shells

spinach stuffed shells

5 from 4 votes
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Spinach Stuffed Shells

Have a picky eater who will not touch veggies? Try this recipe for Spinach Stuffed Shells and get kids to try spinach in a familiar dish. 

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 495 kcal
Author Vicky

Ingredients

  • 20 shells
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups mozzarella
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook pasta shells in boiling water for 6-7 minutes. Remove, drain and set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in saute pan and cook garlic and 4 cups of packed spinach (remove large stems) for a few minutes until the spinach starts to wilt.
  4. Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a large bowl containing the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix until well combined.
  5. Stuff the shells with the cheese and spinach mixture.
  6. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Add stuffed shells so you have four rows of five shells.
  7. Top shells with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Spinach Stuffed Shells
Amount Per Serving
Calories 495 Calories from Fat 315
% Daily Value*
Fat 35g54%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Cholesterol 106mg35%
Sodium 1541mg67%
Potassium 654mg19%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 4135IU83%
Vitamin C 15.3mg19%
Calcium 590mg59%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 If you liked this spinach stuffed shells recipe, check out:

Baked Cinnamon Donuts

Overnight Egg Casserole

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Filed Under: Food Fun Friday, sponsored

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Comments

  1. Sapana V says

    April 8, 2017 at 11:26 am

    These Spinach Stuffed Shells are looking delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I will try it.

    Reply
  2. Kristina says

    April 12, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Yummy! I love spinach! I would like to make this for a new family dish. My hubby is half Italian Italian so he would love this!

    Reply
  3. Jessi Joachim says

    April 12, 2017 at 11:48 am

    These look so good! They would be perfect for my meatless monday that I have been doing, plus my husband is Italian so any pasta and he is happy!

    Reply
  4. Reesa Lewandowski says

    April 12, 2017 at 12:50 pm

    5 stars
    Oh we love stuffed shells! I never have used fresh spinach though, so much better!!

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    April 12, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    Yum-Yum and yum! I am all about the stuff shell and anything pasta. I’m Italian so this is comfort food for me. Thanks for your so super simple recipe directions – gotta try this soon!

    Reply
  6. Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says

    April 12, 2017 at 6:59 pm

    I’m very lucky in the fact that my girls aren’t picky. I’m actually the picky one, although I will eat spinach. I do find hiding veggies helps me consume more. These sound delish.

    Reply
  7. Cynthia @craftoflaughter says

    April 12, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    I would love these but as much as hubby loves stuffed shells, he would turn his nose up at the sight of spinach. Maybe if I chopped it fine…

    Reply
  8. Terri Steffes says

    April 12, 2017 at 8:13 pm

    The recipe for spinach stuffed shells is a lot like mine. I love them so much and my family did, too. It was super tasty and I could make them ahead of time.

    Reply
  9. Jeanine says

    April 12, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    I love stuffed shells. My kids do too, we are huge fans. I havent used spinach in a long time though. Think its needed!

    Reply
  10. Tereza says

    April 13, 2017 at 2:44 am

    These look yummy! I’d love to try these but I can’t ever seem to find these large shells in the shops here. They used to have them everywhere when I lived in the Czech Republic but they seem to be hiding somewhere here in the UK haha x

    Reply
  11. Cindy Ingalls says

    April 13, 2017 at 3:23 am

    I used to make stuff shells all the time, but for some reason I stopped. I’ll have to give it a try again. I have thought about using shells in my vegan lasagna recipe to kind of change things up.

    Reply
  12. Cecilia Cannon says

    April 13, 2017 at 5:26 am

    I remember making these when I was a newlywed! I need to get back on my dinner game and make these again. they are always a hit.

    Reply
  13. Ana De- Jesus says

    April 13, 2017 at 6:19 am

    These stuffed shells look so good and since I have some left over pasta i’d quite like to make this at home today. I am so hungry right now x

    Reply
  14. roxy says

    April 13, 2017 at 6:44 am

    I had to stop several times to wipe the drool from my lips — YUM!!! I adore spinach and this recipe sounds like delicious comfort food to me.

    Reply
  15. Kim says

    April 13, 2017 at 8:00 am

    Shells are so versatile and they are perfect for stuffing with a variety of things. I love the cheese in this! Yum

    Reply
  16. Chel says

    April 13, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    Any way we can squeeze in more greens sounds good to me! And whenever I’m making a traditional recipe that might not be the healthiest, I see if throwing in a little spinach would really be that noticeable.

    Reply
  17. Kristin says

    April 13, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    Wow do I wish a big plate of those shells was sitting in front of me right now. What a delish looking recipe!

    Reply
  18. Jalisa Harris says

    April 13, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    We love pasta in our house. Stuffed shells are my fave. I’ll definitely be pinning this recipe.

    Reply
  19. Nikki Arnold says

    April 13, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    5 stars
    These look good and easy to make. I love cheese stuffed shells and this is a great way to add some veggies.

    Reply
  20. Jean says

    April 14, 2017 at 11:25 am

    These shells look great! I don’t really eat much spinach, but know how good it is for you so must try and get more into my diet. I love how cheesy this pasta is, yum!

    Reply
  21. Toughcookiemommy says

    April 16, 2017 at 7:07 pm

    These spinach stuffed shells look so good. I would love to try these and I think it is great that they are healthier for you.

    Reply
  22. Orana says

    April 16, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    This is comfort food for me! It looks so yummy I love it. I am a paper towel fiend always using too much so Bounty looks like a great option.

    Reply
  23. katriza says

    April 17, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    Looks yummy! We will definitely try this soon! They look so tasty!

    Reply
  24. lydia says

    April 17, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    One word: YUM. I love stuffed pasta, this looks so delicious. I will have to try and make this at home!

    Reply
  25. katrina gehman says

    April 18, 2017 at 7:53 am

    oh yes please, those look so good. i could go for a bunch right now.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Vicky, founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for play and learning activities for kids, kid friendly food, parenting tips and general family fun, you will find it at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me or drop me a note. Thanks for stopping by!
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