Description
A beginner-friendly recipe for stuffed pasta shells filled with ground beef, ricotta, and spinach, topped with marinara and melty cheese. Perfect for quick and healthy meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large container (27 shells) Jumbo Pasta Shells, boiled to al dente
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- 2 cloves Garlic, freshly minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 (28 oz) jar Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 Egg
- 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 16 oz Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 cups Italian Blend or Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated or shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish.
- Boil pasta shells until just under al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Sauté diced onion until soft, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, spinach, and egg. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan until well combined.
- Spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta-spinach mixture and place open side up in the dish.
- Spoon remaining meat sauce over the shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use jumbo shells to ensure there’s enough space for filling.
- Make sure to squeeze all excess water from thawed spinach to avoid soggy filling.
- Substitute ricotta with small curd cottage cheese if needed.
- Recipe can be assembled a day ahead and baked later.
- Freezes well before or after baking for up to 30 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 820mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 85mg