What I especially like about this version is that it doesn’t bury the shells underneath a mountain of melted cheese. You can actually see what you’re eating: big pasta shells filled with creamy ricotta and spinach, sitting in bright marinara sauce.

And there’s a little lemon zest hiding in that ricotta filling.

It sounds like a tiny detail, but with all that creamy cheese and pasta, that little bit of brightness makes a surprising difference.

There’s garlic, Pecorino, oregano and just enough red pepper flakes in there too, so the filling isn’t simply ricotta with spinach thrown into it.

And yes, stuffing 18 or 20 individual pasta shells takes a few minutes.

You’ll probably get ricotta on your fingers.

One shell may tear.

Another might mysteriously disappear while you’re cooking.

We’re not running a restaurant.

By the time that baking dish comes out of the oven, nobody is going to care.

What Are Stuffed Shells?

This recipe uses jumbo pasta shells that are cooked, filled with a spinach-ricotta mixture and baked in marinara sauce.

Unlike a lasagna where everything is layered, every shell gets its own little pocket of filling.

The contrast is what makes them so good.

You’ve got chewy pasta on the outside, creamy ricotta inside and tangy tomato sauce underneath and around everything.

This particular version is also vegetarian—there’s no ground beef, sausage or other meat in the recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredient list is refreshingly manageable.

For the Shells and Filling

18–20 jumbo pasta shells
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
5 ounces fresh spinach
2 cups (16 ounces) ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for the pasta water
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce and Serving

2 cups marinara sauce, plus more for serving
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

And that’s the recipe.

You’ll notice there’s no mozzarella layer in this version.

That’s important because if you’re used to American stuffed shells recipes, throwing mozzarella all over the top might feel automatic.

But we’re following this particular recipe, and it lets that ricotta-spinach filling remain the star.

7 Steps to Make Stuffed Shells

Step 1: Preheat the Oven

Start by preheating your oven to:

425°F.

You’ll eventually need a 9×13-inch baking dish, so it’s worth getting that out now too.

Nothing exciting yet.

We’re warming up.

Literally.

Step 2: Steam the Spinach

Place 5 ounces fresh spinach in a steamer basket set over a pot containing about 1 inch of water.

Bring the water to a simmer.

Cover the pot and steam the spinach for just:

1 minute.

That’s all it needs.

You’re looking for wilted, vibrant green spinach—not dark, soggy leaves that have been cooked into submission.

Transfer the spinach to a strainer and squeeze out the excess water.

Then roughly chop it.

Don’t Skip the Squeezing

This sounds like a minor instruction.

It isn’t.

Spinach holds a surprising amount of water after steaming, and all of that moisture would otherwise end up in your ricotta filling.

We want creamy filling.

Not watery filling.

So give that spinach a good squeeze before chopping it.

Step 3: Cook the Jumbo Shells

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add 18–20 jumbo pasta shells and cook them for:

10 minutes, until al dente.

Drain the shells and drizzle them with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

Gently toss or move them around so the oil coats them.

The olive oil helps keep those large pasta shells from sticking together while you’re preparing everything else.

And be reasonably gentle with them.

A shell with a giant tear isn’t particularly interested in holding ricotta.

That said, don’t panic if one breaks.

That’s partly why having 18–20 shells gives you some breathing room.

Step 4: Make the Spinach-Ricotta Filling

Now for the best part.

In a medium bowl, combine your prepared spinach with:

2 cups ricotta cheese

¼ cup grated Pecorino

2 grated garlic cloves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¾ teaspoon sea salt

and

several grinds of black pepper.

Stir everything together until the spinach and seasonings are distributed throughout the ricotta.

You’ll end up with a thick, creamy filling dotted with green spinach.

That Lemon Zest Is Doing Something

Don’t dismiss the teaspoon of lemon zest.

You’ve got pasta, ricotta and Pecorino—all relatively rich ingredients.

The lemon zest brings brightness without turning the filling into something obviously lemony.

It’s one of those ingredients where you might not immediately say, “Ah yes, lemon zest.”

You just notice the filling tastes better.

Step 5: Add Marinara to the Baking Dish

Take your 9×13-inch baking dish and spread:

2 cups marinara sauce

across the bottom.

Try to distribute it fairly evenly.

The stuffed shells are going to sit directly in that marinara while they bake.

And this is another detail I like about this recipe.

The shells aren’t drowned under sauce.

You can still see their shape and all that creamy filling when the dish comes out of the oven.

Save additional marinara for serving.

Step 6: Stuff the Shells

Now grab a small spoon.

Take one cooked jumbo shell and fill it with the spinach-ricotta mixture.

Place it into the marinara-lined baking dish with the filled side facing upward.

Then repeat.

And repeat.

You should have enough filling for approximately 18–20 shells.

Don’t worry about making every shell identical.

Some will hold a little more filling.

Some will hold a little less.

Some will look Pinterest-ready.

One will look like it has been through something.

They all taste the same.

Arrange the stuffed shells snugly in the baking dish until you’ve used the filling.

Step 7: Cover and Bake

Cover the baking dish with foil.

Place it into your preheated 425°F oven and bake for:

20 minutes.

That’s it.

There’s no second uncovered baking stage in the original recipe.

Once the shells are warmed through, remove the dish from the oven.

For serving, sprinkle over additional Pecorino or Parmesan and some chopped fresh parsley.

Serve with additional marinara on the side.

Personally, I’d keep that extra sauce close.

A spoonful of marinara over an individual stuffed shell is exactly the sort of sauce-to-pasta ratio I’m interested in.

Can You Freeze Stuffed Shells?

Yes.

Assemble the stuffed shells in the baking dish, cover the dish with foil and freeze it.

When you’re ready to serve them, transfer the dish to the refrigerator approximately 10 hours before dinner to thaw.

Let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.

Then bake it covered for 30 minutes, or until the shells are thawed and warmed through.

That’s a very useful freezer dinner to have waiting.

7 Steps To Make Stuffed Shells At Home