Description
A cozy, cheesy baked pasta dish featuring jumbo shells filled with a creamy spinach-ricotta mixture, topped with rich tomato sauce and bubbly mozzarella. Perfect for comfort food lovers and great for make-ahead meals.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil (for sauce)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400 ml tomato puree
- 1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 250 g giant pasta shells
- 300 g fresh spinach (or 350 g frozen spinach, thawed and drained)
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 150 g grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for filling)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 50 g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste (for filling)
Instructions
- Sauté onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and oregano, cook briefly, then add diced tomatoes, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, and a splash of water. Simmer until slightly reduced.
- Wilt spinach in a pan with a little olive oil. Let cool, squeeze out excess water, and chop roughly.
- Mix chopped spinach with ricotta, parmesan-style cheese, minced garlic, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Boil pasta shells until under al dente (about 5 minutes less than package instructions), drain, and rinse.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F). Spread tomato sauce in a baking dish. Fill each shell with about 2 teaspoons of filling and arrange over sauce.
- Top with grated mozzarella and extra parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute fresh spinach with frozen—add ~50 g extra.
- Recipe can be prepared ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days.
- Freezer-friendly: freeze unbaked shells for up to 3 months.
- To bake from frozen: cook at 200°C for 30 minutes, then add cheese and bake 5–10 more minutes.
- Use gluten-free jumbo shells for a gluten-free version.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
