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Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Pasta Shells

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These spinach artichoke stuffed pasta shells are a delicious, vegetarian recipe.

They are cheesy pasta deliciousness at its best!

spinach artichoke stuffed pasta shells in a bowl

Tips for Making Stuffed Pasta Shells

When you’re making stuffed pasta shells, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Make more shells than you’ll need, in case any break
  • Make sure your cheese (ricotta in this case) is not very wet. If it seems loose or wet, drain the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.
  • Keep the shells very al dente - they will continue to cook while they bake, so don’t over boil them.
  • Don’t overfill the shells, it will cause them to break
stuffed shells in a baking dish

Healthier Pasta Recipes

If you enjoy healthier pasta recipes, I’ve got a bunch of recommendations for you! The best way to keep pasta healthy is to add the good stuff to it - think vegetables, tomato sauce, etc.

stuffed shells in a bowl

I hope you enjoy these spinach artichoke stuffed shells recipe! Don't be put off by the total time on this recipe - you will have at least 30 minutes of hands-off cook time.


Yield: 4 servings

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Pasta Shells

spinach artichoke stuffed pasta shells in a bowl

These spinach artichoke stuffed pasta shells are a delicious, vegetarian recipe.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 cups of water
  • Large uncooked pasta shells (at least 16)*
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 (16 ounces or 460 gram) can artichokes in water, drained
  • 9 ounces (250 grams) ricotta cheese
  • 1 (16 ounces or 460 gram) can diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • optional - basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C)
  2. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the pasta shells and 1 teaspoon of salt.
  3. Boil, following package directions till al dente (6 minutes for my shells). Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.
  4. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the spinach to the onions and sauté till spinach is wilted (about one minute).
  6. Add the spinach-onion mixture, artichokes, and ricotta to a food processor and pulse till all ingredients are combined. Avoid making it a paste - keep ingredients chunky.
  7. Pour the diced tomatoes into an 11"x7" pan (or another baking pan). Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine.
  8. Stuff each shell with 2 tablespoons of spinach artichoke mixture and nestle them into the tomato layer in the pan. Fill at least 16 shells.
  9. Sprinkle half the parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
  10. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, raise the temperature to 425 F (220 C) and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp the top of the shells.
  11. Remove from oven and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese on top. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator up to two days.
  12. Garnish with basil leaves before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 520Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1758mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 24g

Jade

Tuesday 19th of April 2016

I don't have a food processor, would the mixing step work with a regular blender or immersion blender? Thanks. These look so good, a nice alternative to my usual lasagna-style suffed shells!

Emily Wilson

Wednesday 20th of April 2016

Yes absolutely. The point is really to get the items into smaller pieces and sticking together - they don't have to be completely broken down. Glad you like them!

Rick

Thursday 7th of April 2016

I'm looking forward to trying the spinach/artichoke shells. My wife saw this on ohmyveggies and sent it to me. I'm retired and do a lot of the cooking and I'm drooling as I think about the shells. Anyway, it has been my experience and i've read that if you start with hot oil and add the garlic first it has a tendency to burn producing an unpleasant taste. I would suggest starting with the onions first then adding the garlic after a minute and a half or two minutes. I love the smell of onions and garlic cooking. Thanks for the recipe!

Emily Wilson

Thursday 7th of April 2016

Thanks, Rick! Hope you and your wife enjoy it. Good tip on the garlic. I usually only let it go for 30 seconds on it's own before adding onion - it's so easy to burn it! I'll try the reverse method and see how it goes.

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