Best Spinach Stuffed Shells With White Sauce Recipes

SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch dish with cooking spray. Pour half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish. Save the rest of the sauce for later.
• Prepare pasta according to package instructions; drain and rinse under cold water.
• Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl.
• Add ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg, if desired. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture.
• Arrange stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, open side up. Pour remaining half of the marinara sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of mozzarella.
• Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil cover during the final 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to get a little bit crispy on top.

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Mix together the spinach, artichokes, ricotta, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together the half-and-half, mozzarella, remaining 4 ounces cream cheese, remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl until smooth and combined. Heat in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until warm and smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Spread 1/2 cup cheese sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stuff a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mixture into each shell and arrange them in the baking dish seam-side up. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the shells, cover with foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, breadcrumbs and parsley, if using, in a small bowl until well combined. Remove the foil from the baking dish and sprinkle the mixture over the shells. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

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.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

ARTICHOKE AND SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine spinach artichoke dip and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Stir in egg, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper; mix until well-combined. Set aside.
• Bring white sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in grated Gruyere cheese until cheese is melted and incorporated into sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in shells and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain. Set aside.
• Pour half the white sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish; spread evenly.
• Stuff pasta shells with the spinach artichoke mixture and place in casserole dish atop the white sauce, stuffed-side up.
• Pour remaining white sauce over the tops of the shells and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes.