My family loves these simple vegetarian crustsfilled with a mixture of creamy ricotta cheese and sautéed mushrooms, spinach and bell peppers. They are perfect for kids and adults, they are easily provided to the crowd and are sure to be a family favorite.
Plush shells are a classic recipe, this version features a perfectly cooked pasta shell stuffed with a creamy mixture of cheese, mushrooms, spinach and pepper.
Bake the shells on a marinated sauce bed until the cheese bubblings. If you like vegetarian pasta recipes, see our vegetarian spaghetti. Or, for more stuffed shell recipes, see our sausage-filled shells or these buffalo chicken-filled shells!
Key Ingredients
- Pasta shell: I use large dry pasta shells and cook it in boiling water until the dentin is filled. It’s better to cook some extra shells than you think, which is a good idea as some people may tear them apart during the boiling process. Don’t worry about the remaining shells or broken shells – they make a delicious snack with extra cheese filling or marinade sauce!
- vegetable: I love to fill these fillings with vegetables! My preferred combination is mushrooms, chili, spinach and garlic, stir-fry until tender. Get creativity at any time, add your favorite vegetables or swap out some.
- cheese: I use whole milk ricotta and parmesan for a rich and creamy filling. To finish the plate, I sprinkle mozzarella on the stuffed shells to match the delicious melted filling. If you are making vegetarian shells, omit Parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian-friendly alternative.
- Herbs: To make these extra delicious, I mixed a lot of fresh basil leaves with some dried oregano.
- Marinara sauce: You can use your favorite store-bought pasta sauce or one of our homemade sauce recipes. Try this homemade marinade or this simple pasta sauce.
How to make vegetarian shells
To make my favorite vegetarian stuffed shells, boil giant pasta shells in salt water. While the shells are cooking, you can prepare the filling of the flavor. Cook the sliced mushrooms in a wide oven-safe skillet until they start to brown. Then, add the bell peppers and cook until slightly softened. Finally, stir in a lot of spinach and cook until wilted.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with vegetables, fresh basil, salt, pepper, oregano and parmesan cheese.
Now, it’s time to assemble the filled shell. If you use an oven-safe frying pan as your veggies, you can use the same pot to bake. Otherwise, the baking tray will work perfectly.
Spread the marinade sauce on the bottom of the selected pan. Fill each cooked shell with a spoonful of cheese and vegetable mixture and paste them in the marinade sauce. The top is served with cheese and melts the golden top. Bake until the seasoning bubbles, the cheese melts and is slightly browned.
Tabooyed vegetables stuffed with shells
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We love these vegetable stuffed shells! If anything, cook vegetables in a wide oven safe skillet. Then, bake the crust in the same pot. If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, bake the shells in a baking tray.
This filling is enough to hold about 16 shells. We recommend adding a few extra shells to the water, as you may notice one or more shells tear up while cooking.
Made 16 shells or 4 servings
You will need
18 Giant Pasta Shells
4 oz mushrooms, sliced, About 2 cups
1 medium bell, chopped
5 oz spinach leaves, About 4 cups pack
3 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon broken
2 cups whole milk ricotta
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese, About 1 cup
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped Or replace 1 teaspoon dry
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups marinara sauce, Try our homemade marinara sauce
2 ounces of chopped mozzarella, About 1/2 cup
Fine sea salt and fresh black pepper
direction
1Preheat the oven until 400°F (204°C).
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until very toothy, about 9 minutes. Flow away. Run under cold water to stop cooking and drain again.
3Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide oven-safe frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and spread into a layer. Cook, still until one side turns brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir, then add the chopped bells. Cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers start to soften, about 2 minutes. If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, a regular frying pan will work properly, you just need to bake the shells in a baking pan instead of the frying pan later.
4Pile the spinach leaves into the pot and add garlic and plenty of salt. Wait for about 30 seconds, or until the bottom layer of the leaves starts to wither, and then throw the leaves around the pot. When the spinach cook cook, keep throwing it so that all leaves have a chance to hit the bottom of the skillet. When the spinach looks bright green and mostly wilted, remove the pan from the heat and let the vegetables cool for a minute or two.
5Mix ricotta, parmesan, basil, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Stir the vegetables and taste the mixture. Adjust with more salt or pepper.
6Place the oven safe skillet on low heat. Pour into marinara sauce and heat until almost no cooking is done. Turn off the heat. If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, transfer the warm marinara sauce to a large baking dish. (If you have an oven-safe frying pan, you can use it to bake the crust.)
7Pour 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each cooked shell and paste the shells in the warm marinade sauce. If any cheese mixture is left, distribute it between the shells, or enjoy with the remaining shells.
8Bake, found until the shells are heated all the time, and then melt the cheese on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Sauce: One can (28 ounces) of store-bought marinara sauce comes in about 3 cups.
- Tips in advance: The shells can be stuffed and arranged in a baking tray or skillet and kept in the refrigerator (covered) for up to a day. You can freeze them too. Wrap them tightly with one layer (or two) and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake. Or bake from freezing, but hopefully they will take longer to heat up all the way.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
4 shells
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Calories
596
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Total fat
26g
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Saturated fat
14.6g
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cholesterol
85.1mg
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sodium
1504mg
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carbohydrate
51g
/
Dietary fiber
6.3g
/
Total sugar
9.8 grams
/
protein
37g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
