Best Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipes

STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 8 minutes; do not overcook. Drain and rinse shells with cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and add water. Heat in the microwave for 4 minutes. Stir and allow to cool. Squeeze spinach dry and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, garlic, oregano, basil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the spinach and mix well.
• Pour and spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Fill each cooked pasta shell with spinach mixture and arrange, filled-side up, in the baking dish, keeping 1/2 inch between shells. Carefully pour remaining sauce on top of shells and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

SPINACH-RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt. (You should have about 4 heaping cups of sauce.)
• Make the stuffed shells: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook as the label directs for baking, about 9 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Spread out on a baking sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a large plate lined with a kitchen towel. Squeeze to remove any excess liquid, then finely chop.
• Put the spinach in a large bowl and add the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, spread about half of the sauce in the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Evenly fill the shells with the spinach-ricotta mixture using a spoon, or pipe it in using a pastry bag. Arrange the shells side by side, open-side up, in the baking dish on top of the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake until heated through and the sauce is simmering around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until any shells or cheese poking through the sauce are lightly browned in spots, about 10 more minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

STUFFED SHELLS FILLED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Fill a bowl with ice water. Blanch the spinach for no more than 20 seconds, just until wilted, and transfer to the ice water, then drain. Squeeze out excess water. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the pasta shells. Cook al dente, about 10 minutes, and drain and toss with the olive oil. Set aside.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the spinach and pulse to chop finely. Add the ricotta and the egg and process until well blended. Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until well blended.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a large baking dish or two 2-quart dishes. The shells should fit into the dish in one layer. Fill each shell with a scant tablespoon of the filling. Arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with the tomato sauce and cover the dish with foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan, and serve.

SHRIMP AND RICOTTA STUFFED JUMBO PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta shells as per the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Cool the pasta shells in cold water and drain well again. Set aside.
• Set 24 of the shrimp aside in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed. Coursely chop the remaining shrimp and place in a medium bowl. Mix in the ricotta, pesto, eggs, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Pour the jar of pasta sauce into a large, wide baking dish; stir in the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Spoon the ricotta/shrimp mixture into the pasta shells and set them on top of the pasta sauce. Set a whole shrimp on top of each shell. Sprinkle the shells with the 1 cup mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, or until the tops are golden and the sauce is bubbling.
• Suggested serving size is 4 shells each.

I HATE RICOTTA MEAT & 2 CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Boil water for pasta.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain and cool.
• Cook pasta in water, drain.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Meanwhile pasta is cooking, combine meat, mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
• Mix spaghetti sauce with tomato sauce; cover bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish with 1/4 of the sauce.
• Stuff cooked, drained shells with the meat mixture and place on top of sauce in dish in a row.
• Add red wine to remaining sauce and mix well; cover shells with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

CHICKEN-RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the ricotta, cream cheese and bouillon until blended. Stir in chicken and Parmesan cheese. Drain shells; stuff with chicken mixture. Place in a shallow 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. , In a small saucepan, bring cream and butter to a boil. Whisk in 3 tablespoons cheese and parsley. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour over shells. , Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

SPINACH AND COTTAGE CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS (NO RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine ingredients "cottage cheese" through "egg".
• Pour half of the sauce in a 9x13 pan (I never measure the sauce, I just pour it from the jar). Fill the shells full with the cheese mixture, and place them into the pan with the sauce.
• Drizzle the remaining sauce lightly over the top of the shells (or spoon sauce from the jar over the shells, like I do). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

RICOTTA-STUFFED SHELLS WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Put a large pot of well-salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta shells, put the lid on the pot to help water return to a boil, then remove lid, stir pasta and continue cooking, uncovered until al dente, usually abut 10 minutes. (It's better to err on the undercooked side than risk flabby pasta, so check early and often.)
• Remove pasta from pot and cool in a large bowl of water. Drain well and spread cooked shells on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel.
• Meanwhile, make the ricotta filling: In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, scallions, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and juice, and crushed red pepper to taste. Add grated Parmesan and pecorino. Season well with salt and pepper and mix well to incorporate ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large shallow baking dish (use 2 dishes if necessary). Using a spoon or pastry bag, put about 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange the filled shells in one layer in the baking dish, packed closely together. Drizzle surface lightly with olive oil, or use a small brush to lightly paint each shell.
• Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup pecorino and bread crumbs and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until heated through, crisp and golden brown.
• To make the pesto, pulse basil, parsley, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor until roughly chopped. Add oil slowly and blend well. Add a little pepper, taste and adjust seasoning and transfer to a serving bowl.
• To serve, drizzle shells with a little pesto sauce and pass the rest at the table.

JUMBO SHELLS STUFFED WITH RICOTTA FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Drop jumbo shells into boiling water and cook about 10 minutes or until tender but not overcooked. Drain.
• Spoon layer of sauce over bottom of casserole large enough to hold stuffed shells in one layer.
• Fill each shell with equal portions of ricotta cheese mixture. Arrange shells stuffed side up in casserole. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake 25 minutes.

RICOTTA AND SPINACH STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, 3 minutes; drain.
• Cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to moderate.
• Boil, steam or microwave spinach until just wilted; drain.
• Chop spinach finely, squeeze out excess liquid.
• Combine spinach in a large bowl with ricotta and cottage cheese; spoon spinach mixture into pasta shells.
• Combine sauce and stock in oiled shallow 2 litre (8 cup) ovenproof dish.
• Place pasta shells in dish; sprinkle with parmesan.
• Bake, covered, in moderate oven about 1 hour or until pasta is tender.

MEATBALL & RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Boil the jumbo pasta shells according to the package directions.
• Drain and rinse shells with cool water.
• Add one spoonful of ricotta cheese and then one meatball to each shell.
• Place the stuffed shells in the baking pan.
• Top each shell with a spoonful of marinara sauce and a few shreds of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

RICOTTA AND SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Pulse tomatoes and their juices in a food processor until smooth.
• Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over bulgur, cover, and let stand until soft and water is absorbed, 30 minutes.
• Cook shells in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and let cool.
• Steam spinach, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Squeeze out excess moisture, coarsely chop, and add to bulgur. Stir in ricotta. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg.
• Coat bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with 1 cup sauce. Spoon filling into shells and arrange in pan. Add remaining sauce, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.

RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• For Shells: Boil according to directions on the box. Drain, rinse with cold water. Set them aside.
• For Sauce: Simmer the onion and garlic together in olive oil. When they are golden, add in the tomato and then spices. Cook for 15 minutes.
• For Filling: Add all filling ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.
• Pour half your sauce evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Stuff your closed, undamaged noodles and arrange them in one layer over the pan, opening side down. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of your noodles, then sprinkle with grated parmesan. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

RICOTTA, SPINACH & CHICKEN STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180F (160C) (I use my NuWave Oven for about 45 minutes).
• Par-cook the pasta in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
• Brush a shallow 8 cup ovenproof baking dish or ramekins, with oil. (or spray).
• Microwave the spinach until just wilted. Then drain and chop finely, squeezing out excess liquid.
• Combine spinach, ricotta and cottage cheese annd spoon or pipe into the pasta shells.
• Combine the pasta sauce and stock and pour into the prepared dish or ramekins. Place the shells on top and scatter pieces of skinless chicken around. Sprinkle grated parmesan over all.
• Bake covered for about 1 hour and scatter torn basil leaves on top to serve.

BAKED PASTA SHELLS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a very large saucepan, gently fry the garlic and onion in the oil for about 5-10 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato purée and refill the cans with water about three-quarters full, giving them a shake to mop up any tomato. This will give you about 4 1/2 cups water. Add it to the pan. Bring the sauce to the boil and then partially cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
• Soak the fresh spinach in the sink to get rid of any mud, drain, and then cook in just the water that's still clinging to the leaves until it has wilted down and cooked through, then drain well and chop roughly (you can just go at it with scissors while it's sitting in the colander). If you're using frozen chopped spinach, make sure - once it's thawed - that you've pressed out every last bit or water; you can.
• Empty the ricotta into a bowl, add the eggs and then grate in about 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the Parmesan. Add the spinach when it is cool, squeezing out (again) any excess water with your hands, then stir everything together and season it well with the nutmeg and salt and pepper.
• Cook the pasta shells in a large pan of water, for about 5 minutes once they have come back to the boil, then drain and leave them to get cool enough for you to stuff them without burning your fingers. Tip the shells into a dish, of approximately 15 x 13 inches, so that they lie in a single layer, then fill each shell with a heaped teaspoon of the spinach and ricotta filling. Ladle the tomato sauce over the pasta, and grate over the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes, by which time the pasta will be tender and the light tomato sauce hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for a while to cool down slightly before serving.

STUFFED SHELLS (SPINACH & RICOTTA CHEESE) RECIPE - (4.7/5)

Steps:

• 1. Set an oven rack to the highest position and heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and run under cold water until cool. 2. Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large broilerproof baking dish. 3. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells and place them on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and bake until the shells are heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. 4. Increase heat to broil. Broil the shells until the cheese begins to brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve with the salad, if desired. Nutritional Information * Per Serving * Calories 794 * Fat 47g * Sat Fat 24g * Cholesterol 141mg * Sodium 1,390mg * Protein 44g * Carbohydrate 49g * Sugar 9g * Fiber 5g * Iron 3mg * Calcium 798mg

SAUSAGE, RICOTTA, AND SPINACH STUFFED PASTA SHELLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Instructions In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat. In the same saucepan, cook spinach until wilted or about 1-2 minutes. Cook the shells according to package directions (I cook them until they are pliable for filling and no more). In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 8oz of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan, eggs, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper (optional). Stir in the spinach. Coat the bottom of a 9x13in pan with the entire jar of spaghetti sauce. Spoon the cheese mixture into the shells and place shells open side up, very close together in the dish. There will be more shells than will fit into this pan and you can either make a second smaller pan (5x8 is good) or freeze for future use. Sometimes the shells also break in the box so this is fine. Sprinkle the sausage over the top of the shells. Then sprinkle with the remaining 4oz of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. If you like a cheesy crust, you may broil it uncovered for 3-5 minutes (watch closely). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Notes I am not a huge fan of garlic, but I find that this recipe really absorbs the garlic and mellows the flavor while baking. I usually put enough garlic powder until I think "wow, I put too much in". That is actually the perfect amount. I personally like Prego Chunky Garden Vegetable but use your favorite spaghetti sauce.

MOM'S SPINACH AND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring 4 - 5 qts of water to a rolling boil, add 2 tbs of salt, gently add pasta, be sure to add extra shells as you will lose a few, cook for approximately 10 minutes, or it tests al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. If pasta is starchy, you can toss in olive oil to prevent from sticking, but use sparingly as it will also prevent the cheese from sticking.
• While pasta is cooking start your sauce:.
• In an 6-8 qt pan brown meats over a medium hot burner, work it with a spoon until meat crumbles, add onion, then cook until dark brown, If there is an excessive amount of fat, drain and, optionally, rinse. Add garlic and season to taste. Cook until garlic is fragrant, use caution not to burn. Add sauce & paste, reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until ready to serve, adjust seasoning as necessary.
• While meat sauce is cooking thaw and rinse and your spinach, I like to use the microwave , but you can rinse it under hot water. After draining all the water you can in a colander wrap the spinach in a very clean towel and twist to get the remaining water out, this is a critical step. When you get done the spinach will be VERY dry. Crumble the spinach in a large bowl, add ricotta, ¾ of the mozzarella, ¾ of the parmesan, mix, add egg, mix add seasonings/garlic and mix. Be sure to add enough salt here, the spinach really comes alive when seasoned properly.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• I like to bake the noodles in 8x12 foil pans, but you can use a single ½ sheet pan or a large casserole dish or a pair of 9x13 pans. Whatever you decide, lightly grease the pans, ladle in a generous amount of sauce. Each shell will take about 2 tablespoons of filling. They are very full, but not too top heavy. I fit about 20 shells in an 8x12 pan. Once the shells are filled and arranged, spoon a small amount of sauce on each one, sprinkle remaining cheeses on the top, cover with greased foil and bake for 25 minutes.
• If you are making the shells ahead of time you will need to adjust your cooking time, bake at 325 for 15 minutes or so, then raise temp to 350 and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. At this point you can turn on the broiler (top element) and brown the cheeses.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes (or so) while you warm up your garlic bread.

LOW CALORIE SPINACH & RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Cook shells according to package directions; rinse under cold water, drain and pat dry. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine spinach, both cheeses, egg white and 1/4 teaspoon of each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spoon half the tomato sauce into prepared dish and mix. Stuff each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon and arrange stuffed shells in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over shells and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until pasta is cooked through and sauce begins to bubble, about 30 minutes. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

RICOTTA CHEESE-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, cook onion, in oil in large skillet until tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired. Combine eggs, ricotta cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon filling into shells. Arrange in 3-quart baking dish. Spoon sauce over shells. Bake, covered, at 375F, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more until heated through and cheese is melted.