Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells is such a comforting vegetarian dinner. Tender jumbo shells are stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and artichoke hearts, then topped with plenty of melty cheese. This recipe makes a lot of leftovers, and it’s super simple to make – perfect for weeknight meals.
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Why This Recipe is So Good
It’s super easy to make, reheats well and is incredibly filling. Stuffed shells are the best make ahead dinner. It’s great for crowd and there’s no complex steps. Everyone will love how delicious and comforting these stuffed shells are – you won’t miss the meat in this dinner!
This is a vegetarian stuffed shells recipe. The filling is artichokes, spinach, ricotta cheese, and shredded cheese. Feel free to add shredded chicken or ground beef to add additional protein.
Dinner menu idea: Serve spinach and artichoke stuffed shells with a Caesar salad using this Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe without Anchovies and a slice of this Cheesy Pesto Garlic Bread with Heirloom Tomatoes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Veggies – Frozen spinach and artichoke hearts are cooked with sautéed onions and garlic. The frozen artichokes are boiled first, then added to the rest of the veggies to make the filling.
- Tomato sauce – Homemade or store-bought sauce. I used a plain tomato sauce a couple of times for this recipe, and other times I cooked the sauce with sautéed onions and garlic, Italian seasoning, and ground paprika.
- Cheese – I used a mixture of ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, and Monterey Jack. White or yellow cheddar cheese or Mexican Blend cheeses work here as well.
- Jumbo pasta shells – Jumbo shells, manicotti shells, or even lasagna noodles if you want to skip the stuffing part!
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Shells
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Boil the artichokes
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on medium-high heat. Add frozen artichokes, boil for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the artichokes to a separate plate. Once cool roughly chop then set aside.
Boil the pasta
To the same water you cooked the artichokes in, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the jumbo shells. Cook pasta halfway then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place drained pasta into a large mixing bowl, drizzle with a bit more olive oil then cover and set aside.
Make the spinach artichoke filling
Sautee onions in a large skillet until soft then cook spinach and minced garlic until the spinach has heated through and wilted and there isn’t any water left in the skillet. Remove skillet from the heat then stir in ricotta cheese and shredded cheeses. Set aside.
Stuff the shells and bake
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with the ricotta spinach artichoke filling. Place into the sauce then repeat with remaining pasta. Sprinkle the top with red crushed pepper flakes and the remaining cheese. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly then serve with garlic bread and a side salad.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Vegetable Stuffed Shells
- Alfredo Pesto Pasta
- Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
- How To Make Homemade Ravioli
- Best Baked Mac and Cheese
- 3 Cheese Smoked Mac and Cheese in Electric Smoker
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Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 6 ounces artichoke hearts frozen
- 12 ounces Jumbo pasta shells
- 4 tablespoons Olive oil divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach or 10 ounces or 6 cups of fresh baby spinach
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 16 ounces shredded cheese I used mozzarella and Monterey Jack, divided
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 4 cups Tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons red crushed pepper flakes optional
Instructions
Boil the artichokes
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on medium-high heat. Add frozen artichokes, boil for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the artichokes to a separate plate. Artichokes can sometimes have a hard outer layer, once they are cool enough to handle peel it off then roughly chop them. Set aside.
Boil the pasta
- To the same water you cooked the artichokes in, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the jumbo shells. Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook the pasta for half the amount of time listed on the package instructions(I cooked mine for 6 minutes). You don’t want to overcook the shells. Cook them just enough to be pliable but still hard since they will bake in the oven.
- Drain the shells, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, the pasta should be room temperature, not hot at all. Transfer cooked and drained pasta shells into a large mixing bowl, toss gently with a drizzle of olive oil so the pasta doesn’t stick together. Cover and set aside.
Make the spinach artichoke filling
- In a large skillet or the same pot you cooked the pasta in, saute onions with two tablespoons of olive oil and a large pinch of salt until soft, about 3 – 5 minutes.
- Next, add the chopped spinach and minced garlic. Continue cooking until the spinach is heated through and there isn’t any water in the skillet. (If using fresh spinach, cook until the spinach has wilted down.) Add more oil to the skillet if it starts to look dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, then stir in chopped artichokes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ricotta cheese and 8 ounces of shredded cheese until combined, then set aside.
Stuff the shells and bake
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, add tomato sauce. Use a spoon to fill each pasta shell with the ricotta, spinach, and artichoke filling. Place stuffed shells into the tomato sauce, and then repeat with the remaining shells. Sprinkle shells with red crushed pepper(if using) and the rest of the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Optional: Turn the broiler on for 1 minute to brown the top of the cheese a bit more.
- Allow to cool slightly, then serve Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Shells hot with French bread or garlic bread and a side salad. Enjoy!
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
- Store in a air tight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat covered in the oven until hot.
- To Freeze: Divide into portions, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or freezer safe bags, keep frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat covered in the oven until hot.
Tips and Tricks
- Sauce: Use store-bought or homemade Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce. I used a plain sauce then seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder, dried oregano and dried thyme.
- Artichokes: I used frozen artichokes; they are boiled first to soften them a bit. Frozen artichokes can have a hard outer layer; make sure to remove it before chopping. You can swap frozen artichokes out for jarred artichokes or marinated artichokes. Just drain them really well, then roughly chop them before combining with the spinach.
- Cheese: Use feta cheese instead of ricotta or use a mix of both for a different flavor.
- Protein: Add chicken or ground beef for additional protein.
