This stuffed shells recipe is not only cheesy and delicious but it’s also full of vegetables so you can feel good about eating it too!
I have a habit of putting extra vegetables in juuuuuuust about everything. I can’t help myself.
A) It’s a good habit to be in.
B) It cleans out my fridge.
C) It gives us extra nutrition.
My lists are rubbing off on her.
Anyways, back to the stuffed shells. I love this meal because it’s a good balance of decadence and nutrition. Yeah, it’s pasta and cheese. But you’re also getting tons of lean protein and colorful vegetables in there too. (PS: If you can find jumbo shells in whole wheat, let me know what brand!).
I also like these stuffed shells because they look pretty impressive (well, maybe not in my photos), but they really are fairly simple to make. The sauce is like any other spaghetti or pasta sauce – not that difficult and easy to customize to the tastes of your family and/or friends. The filling is easy too – I used cottage cheese and pureed it for an ultra silky texture, not grainy like ricotta can tend to be. Fill up the shells, cover with sauce and more cheese and bake. You could even make this ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them.
I love the picture above because it shows all the vegetable goodness of this stuffed shells recipe – mushrooms, spinach, carrots, tomatoes of course, red bell peppers, onions.
And then you cut into them and there is a wealth of delicious, gooey cheese (3 types!). Of course, the cheese is also seasoned and flavored with fresh parsley.
If you’re feeling swamped and this sounds like way too much fuss (I totally get it!) – this sauce would be amazing poured over some cheese ravioli that you can find in the freezer section of your grocery store. And if you’re feeling like you have a tiny bit of energy, you could pour the sauce over the ravioli, sprinkle some mozzarella on top, and bake that until bubbly and golden. Yum.
While pasta is cooking, begin to prepare sauce. In a very large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat butter and olive oil until butter is melted and is starting to bubble.
Add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Sauté until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up as you go. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Add in garlic and stir to combine. Add spinach, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir to combine.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook at a rapid simmer (medium heat) for about 20 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Taste and season as needed.
For the filling, mix together ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, egg, pepper and HALF of the parmesan until combined. Fill the shells evenly (I didn’t use all the shells). Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half of sauce in the bottom of the pan. On top of the sauce, place the shells. On top of the shells, pour over the remainder of the sauce. Top with remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If cheese is browning too quickly, cover with foil (spray the underside of the foil so the cheese doesn’t stick to it).
Verdict: Loved these and will definitely make again.
Husband’s take: He loved this stuffed shells recipe. No complaints were heard!
Changes I would make: None are necessary – but I’ve been known to throw whatever veggies I have in the fridge into the sauce.
Oh my gosh I may die if I don’t make this yesterday.
This looks absolutely delicious! I love that it’s packed with veggies and still seems a little indulgent and cheesy!
This looks so good. I’m all about adding as many veggies as possible!
The more vegetables, the better!! Dying for this!
Just curious the nutrition information for this… Seems like it could be high because of the cheese.. but all those veggies may balance it out???
Yum Rachel! Pasta is my one of my faves, love how this is loaded with veggies so that I can eat a giant serving and not feel guilty!
I love any recipe that includes a ton of veggies :) And I agree it helps clean out the fridge before veggies go to waste!
Me too! I almost always default to throwing vegetables in pasta sauce.