- Calories 794
- Fat 47g
- Sat fat 24g
- Cholesterol 141mg
- Sodium 1,390mg
- Protein 44g
- Carbohydrate 49g
- Sugar 9g
- Fiber 5g
- Iron 3mg
- Calcium 798mg
Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells
Marcus Nilsson
How to Make It
Step 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 to cool.
Step 2
Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large broilerproof baking dish.
Step 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.
Step 4
Sprinkle the shells with the mozzarella and bake until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 5
Increase heat to broil. Broil the shells until cheese begins to brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve with the salad, if desired.
onesimplemom
2017-08-25T15:05:16-04:00
Just a cautionary note to those making this dish to serve to vegetarians: be sure to avoid the parmesan, which is made with calf rennet. I will spare you the description of how that is made, but suffice to say, it is not pleasant, especially for the sacrificial calves.There are many cheeses made with rennet, a curdling agent, and vegetarians must be cautious of this. Those who think of cheese as a nice dairy alternative to serve us would obviously not know to be on the look out for it while trying to accommodate us at mealtime, so I thought I'd save you the awkward moment of having a piping hot dish that your guests won't be able to eat. There are parmesan-type substitutes that can be used :)
I hope this is helpful!!
HannahCurry
2013-02-28T07:23:17-05:00
I made this for dinner last night and it was very good. I added to it some onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary which I sauteed in a little olive oil. I used part skim cheeses to cut down some of the fat content and completely omitted the Parmesan. I only used about half of the Ricotta. Note: it took close to 25 minutes to fully cook. To the folks who expressed concern with the calorie content in their reviews below: this recipe is SHELLS stuffed with CHEESE! What exactly did you expect? Cracks me up.
Jessi0630
2012-01-25T11:14:27-05:00
I made this a couple of nights ago. First, to say it serves 4 is ridiculous, it could serve a football team, which probably accounts for the high calories per serving. No one could possibly eat 1/4 of this. I thought the recipe was just ok, not great, fairly bland. It was easy to make, however, and the kids ate it, so it still gets 3 stars in my book.
SeattleBeagle
2011-03-20T09:06:56-04:00
This was really good but I made a few small changes to it. I used the suggestion below and used 1/2 lb ground turkey and reduced the ricotta by half. I also think that sausage or ground lamb would be delicious too although higher in fat. Next time I will wilt my spinach into the turkey because the dish didn't get hot enough to wilt the spinach down once in the shells. Also, I didn't need an entire jar of pasta sauce. I put 1 cup of sauce on bottom of dish and then spooned some on top of each shell before adding the mozzarella. I probably used more like 1/2 or 2/3 of a jar. Lastly, I thought 4 oz of mozzarella on top was too much and 2 oz would suffice. Will definitely make again with these changes.
DeaK23
2010-10-25T09:57:59-04:00
I think this recipe is delicious and easy to make! I made this with part skim ricotta and a home made sauce - an easy way to control the calories, fat content and sodium in the recipe. Plus, for those who have not made the recipe, the nutrition information is based on a serving size of 5 stuffed shells, which is a pretty huge portion. I served this at a dinner party with a salad. Not one guest ate 5 pieces -- most averaged 2-3. Based on minor adjustments to the recipe, this is a reasonably healthy eating friendly option.
statrunner
2010-09-21T10:32:04-04:00
Made this with low fat ricotta, it was super yummy! everyone gobbled it down. seriously people, if you haven't made a recipe, please don't review it.
yogiebiker
2010-05-11T11:16:00-04:00
Holy cow...even if I wasn't conscious of my calorie intake this woud scare me...I think Lowfat ricotta would be perfectly acceptable in this recipe.
crozetcook
2010-05-11T09:24:55-04:00
Good Grief! 24g of saturated fat per serving! Haven't made this, but of course, it sounds delicious and deadly. I assume that using "skim" and "low fat" would help the fat calorie load, but flavor may suffer. Too bad arteries are so important!!!
RedCharlotte
2010-04-27T16:54:29-04:00
LOVED this recipe. Changed things around to make it my "own." Cut the ricotta in half and added 1/2 lb of ground turkey. Instead of spinach I used kale. My husband could not get enough of this dish. Quick and easy and enough leftovers for the next night.
